


Send Me No Flowers

by Ostrava



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Developing Relationship, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2019-11-07 09:45:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17958164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ostrava/pseuds/Ostrava
Summary: Hanzo owns a small flower shop in Gibraltar street. Each morning he observes Jesse as he walks down the street, until one day he goes inside Hanzo's shop.





	1. Daisies and Peonies

**Author's Note:**

> Some of the ideas for this story come from my experiences as a young kid. I used to live in a street similar to the one I describe in this story, my mother owned a flower shop that was placed in our home, we had an auto-shop, bakery, a tailor, a couple of small grocery shops and a produce vendor all of them neighbors, and most owners had their business as an extension of their house just like my mother did, and we even had a general doctor a corner away. It was something that I truly liked about that location, everyone got along and shared everything. I hope to transmit some of that spirit in this story.
> 
> Anyhow, I hope you enjoy. (Apologies for any misspelling or grammatical errors.)

* * *

 

As it was his custom every morning, Hanzo walked down the narrow staircase that gave way to the lower level of his house and toward his shop in a calm way. There was no rush for him, as his small business was practically three feet away from his home. A small but quaint looking flower shop that he had named the Blue Snapdragon, he lower floor of his house had been re-purposed for that.

 

He took a glance outside taking notice of the overcast weather that would hopefully remain as such, it had rained for the entirety of the week so far, and the respite from the constant downpours was more than welcome, even if the sun was still unable to shine through he clouds. Still, Gibraltar street was almost devoid of any movement, except for the occasional passerby and a few cars driving by.

 

Heavy vines of wisteria twisted over the highest part of the entrance's archway framed the glass door that gave way into the street. The branches slightly obscured the view of the street, for they were heavy with beautifully coloured blossoms that cascaded in shades of blue; their fragrance was often praised by the costumers as they walked into the shop.

 

After he had tied his dark blue apron over, Hanzo stood near the front windows with a small container in hand, he patiently watered a couple of orchids and tended to a few potted petunias while he glanced every few seconds towards the street.

 

“When are you going to build up the courage to ask him out?” Genji had walked down the stairs quietly, and observed his brother for a while without uttering a single word. He knew that Hanzo did the same each morning. The younger sibling was drinking coffee in his old over-sized mug, “You watch him pass by every day, even though there is no need for you to open the shop at such an early hour.”

 

“That is no concern of yours, brother.” the elder Shimada pointed out, his back still turned as he pretended to arrange a few lilies. Hanzo then reached for a pair of shears and trimmed the withered leaves from a few sunflowers he was going to use in an arrangement later that day, he needed to keep himself busy, that way, his brother would become bored and would leave him alone. No more questions and no more unnecessary comments about his nonexistent attraction towards the cowboy that owned the bakery down the street.

 

“It is when you keep on doing this instead of just _talking_ to him.” the younger sibling sighed, “I could help you, you know? I know him and th-”

 

“No.” Hanzo interrupted, his voice seemed devoid of emotion, “Quit insisting with that. This is a passing fancy and will be gone sooner or later. In the meantime, _stop_ mentioning it.”

 

“You have to do something about it.” Genji offered a shrug. “This crush of yours can't continue.”

 

“Do what exactly?” he asked with an exasperated voice. It was early and yet, his brother had managed to get on his nerves already. He moved towards the cage that contained a pair of blue feathered parakeets, fed them and filled their little dish with water. That helped him calm down.

 

“I don't know! Just do _something_. Because seeing you pining for him is becoming unbearable.”

 

“Then stop meddling in my business.” Hanzo groaned out loud, “This will pass, as it told you, this is nothing but a _passing fancy_.”

 

“At least you admitted you are attracted to him,” Genji lifted a fist into the air, careful not to spill his coffee with the movement, “that is a step in the right direction.” Genji then pointed a finger at his brother, “Soon you'll be talking to each other and the pining will stop.”

 

“I admitted nothing, I am not _pining_ and,” the elder Shimada glanced at the clock on the far side of the shop, located on the wall that was right behind the counter, “are you not late for your morning class?”

 

“Oh shit!” Genji swore as moved around the shop in a flurry of papers and a half buttoned jacket, “I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!” he repeated over and over.

 

For his part, Hanzo was amused by his brother's antics, “Watch out white rabbit!” the elder Shimada said amidst bouts of laughter, “Please do greet Alice when you have reached Wonderland.”

 

“ _Haha_ , very funny Hanzo.” the younger one replied as he passed by the door.

 

On that same moment, as Hanzo had reached for a bucket that was filled to the brim with white roses, his eyes landed on the passing figure of the cowboy. He was as always, clad in red and yellow, wearing his signature serape, boots and stetson. It never failed to take the archer's breath away. Even if it was something so simple, he considered that the taller man was handsome with his scruffy beard and dark eyes.

 

He placed the bucket filled with roses back onto the floor and moved closer to the windows, he did so just to see the baker walking until he was lost in the distance, as it happened evrey single day. Sometimes the cowboy would whistle. Oftentimes a happy tune that reminded Hanzo of blue skies and bluer seas. The cowboy even waved at him sometimes, offering a smile that always made Hanzo's day better, no matter how tedious his work would become, the memory of the smile usually made him feel warm inside.

 

On that cloudy morning, instead of keeping on walking, the taller man walked into the shop instead. And either if it was because luck was on Hanzo's side or that fate deemed it crucial to play the elder Shimada a joke, the cowboy had in fact walked in and offered a smile to Hanzo.

 

“Morning.” he greeted, brown eyes shined under the bright light that came from the yellow light bulbs overhead. Suddenly the day didn't seem so bleak as the cowboy tipped his hat at the florist. “I hope you can help me.” the drawl in his voice felt as if sunlight was warming Hanzo's skin on a cold day.

 

“Good morning.” The archer, for an instant, felt as if he was hypnotized. Then when he realized that his silence was probably sending the wrong message, he cleared his throat and stepped forward, “Of course I can assist you.” he replied, “What is it that you require?”

 

“A friend of mine's sick and I want to buy her some _get better soon_ flowers.” the taller one explained, the smile never disappearing from his lips.

 

Hanzo offered him a smile in return followed by a nod, then took a small instant to consider which kind of flowers would be the best choice. “Daisies and peonies are ideal flowers for that, sir.”

 

The cowboy laughed for a few seconds, his eyes bright as his mirth died out. “Please, don't call me sir, makes me feel older than I am.”

 

“Then what should I call you?” Hanzo asked as he moved around gathering the flowers, along with the cellophane and ribbon he would use to wrap the bouquet. “Could call you cowboy, but that would be rather impolite.”

 

“The name's McCree.” he tipped his hat once more, “Jesse McCree. I own the bakery down the street.” he declared with an amused tone, “Though, you probably already know that, since you see me pass by every day.”

 

“I am usually tending to some plants by the time you walk by the front of the shop.” the archer grimaced for a while yet, regained his composure almost immediately. He would not give away that he had become nervous, in fact he promised to himself right then and there never again to stand by the windows or the door by the time McCree was to walk by. He even considered to take Genji's advise and sleep in from time to time in order to avoid that, because what McCree just said made Hanzo suddenly feel as if he was a child that had been caught with his hands on the cookie jar.

 

“I usually saw you looking into the street at that time.” the baker pointed out.

 

“I do apologize if it looks as if I was spying.” the florist tried to guise his words as a joke, “It is difficult not to have a glance outside when everything in the front of the shop, from the door to the windows, is made of glass.” though he would never admit out loud, that he would sometimes lean over the plants near the window in order to peer outside and have his glance follow the cowboy until he was lost in the distance.

 

Had he been _that_ obvious?

 

“I didn't mean it like that.” McCree spoke in a low tone, “Actually I think it's nice...” the last part of the sentence might as well had been a whisper.

 

Hanzo made quick work arming the bouquet, if McCree kept on talking then the florist had not heard anything of what the baker had said afterwards. The flowers were bright and cheery, a great choice for those who could use a bit of joy brought into their life while illness abated them. After he tied up the flowers with a small golden ribbon, he handed them over to McCree.

 

“Here.” the elder Shimada offered the bouquet to Jesse with calculated ease. The cowboy accepted the flowers with a surprised expression upon his face. For being simple daisies and peonies, the florist had arranged them exquisitely.

 

“How much will it be?” Jesse inquired as he reached into the back pocket in order to bring out his wallet, but the florist shook his head a few times in response.

 

“It is nothing.” he said, his lips tugged upward as a small smile almost surfaced. “Consider them a gift.”

 

“But I can't.” Jesse eyed the flowers for a while, “These are beautiful and...”

 

“There is no need for that.” Hanzo countered, there was a short moment in which there was only silence between the two of them. In the background, Bob Crosby's Happy Times filled the quiet moment with its soft tune.

 

“And that's where you're wrong.” the cowboy smirked, “I always pay my debts. I'll find a way to pay you back, count on that, you'll see.”

 

“Even if this is but an imaginary debt.” Hanzo threw a small joke as a small rebuttal, he lifted one eyebrow while crossing both arms over his chest.

 

“I like your humor.” McCree admitted as he made his way to the door. “I'll see you around, and thank you for the flowers.” the cowboy spared one last glance to the florist, tipped his hat and left whistling an old tune.

 

Hanzo for his part was sure that the cowboy would keep true to his word, and he was actually looking forward to see what was that McCree had in store for him in order to _'pay'_ the nonexistent debt. He eyed the clock behind the counter and resumed his work, organizing the shop while singing along with the song that was currently playing.

 

_Happy times indeed._

 

 


	2. Strawberry Cupcakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (My apologies. I meant to post this chapter yesterday, but I was unable to do so because it was the first anniversary of my grandmother's passing and it was quite a hard day...)
> 
>  
> 
> I want to thank you all for the kudos and comments and for your support. Honestly I am glad you are liking this so far, and if this story manages to at least make you smirk I consider it a win. 
> 
> Thank you and I hope you like this chapter!

* * *

 

Jesse arrived to his bakery nearly skipping out of joy. True, it had not been the smoothest of first meetings, but he had finally managed to speak with the florist. He had been trying to build up the courage to do so for months and Ana's illness, even though it was but a short lived cold, had been the perfect excuse.

 

McCree opened the main door to the shop whistling still, made his way in and began opening the windows to allow some fresh air in, even if the sun was not shining. Jesse placed the flowers on the front counter, as he planned to take them to Ana's tea shop later that day, perhaps he would take a break mid-mornig when the rest of his workers had arrived.

 

In the meantime, he went into the baking area and began working mixing the dough for some shortbread cookies. He lost the notion of time as he began making the preparation and before long Fareeha had arrived, followed by Lena who with a chirpy voice wished him a good morning.

 

“Morning, boss!” Oxton offered a smile to McCree and then made a beeline towards the coffee machine they kept in the back. She needed some caffeine before she could start working. “How's life treating you so far love?”

 

Yet, Jesse remained quiet. He seemed to be lost in contemplation staring at the dough he had prepared while his lips featured a small smile and his entire face featured a rather _'mushy'_ expression. Eyes shining and a bit of a blush dusted his cheeks.

 

“Jesse?” it was Fareeha who began calling him then, “Hey, Jesse? Lena just asked you a question.”

 

“The lights are on but there's nobody home.” Oxton said as she took a sip of the coffee, Pharah nodded in agreement to Lena's words. Jesse was seemingly gone. Was he drunk? Or sleep deprived? Or was he ill?

 

“Jesse!” Amari took McCree by the shoulders and shook him a few times for good measure, until there was a response from him.

 

“Pharah?” he blinked owlishly, “You won't believe what just happened!” Jesse let out his words with an excited tone. His smile became somehow brighter.

 

“Uh... are you drunk?” it was Lena who inquired from the far corner of their working area, she was gathering some ingredients in order to begin filling out some of the orders they would be delivering later that day.

 

“Not at all.” he denied with his head, “It was just something too good to be true. But it happened.”

 

“Then what's going on Jess?” it was Fareeha's turn to question him, “Why are you speaking in riddles?”

 

“It finally happened, then.” Lena said in a mocking serious tone, “He finally went completely cuckoo.”

 

Olivia was the last one to arrive, a cup of coffee in one hand and her cellphone in the other. She stood by the entrance taking in the scene. She had always been the one who arrived a bit later than the rest; usually she looked as if she hadn't slept all night. Obviously, she had been either hacking into something or binge watching a new series, no doubt. “What's going on?” she lifted one eyebrow as the words left her mouth. “Did someone die?”

 

“No one has died.” it was Lena who waved from her work, she was pouring cake batter into a couple of molds, “But Jesse seems to be a bit gone... to put it lightly.”

 

“Jesse, what's going on?” Phara inquired, “I'm getting a bit worried here.”

 

“Yeah, and what's with the flowers you left near the register?” it was Olivia who continued the line of questioning, “You don't actually strike me as someone who actually _likes_ flowers.”

 

“Nothing too important. At least for you it isn't.” Jesse cleared his throat, he went back to the front of the shop and returned with the bouquet in hand. “Or maybe it is, if you are professional meddlers.”

 

' _He was so careful with the flowers, as if they were made of porcelain but so fast arming the bouquet, it was unbelievable how he wrapped the cellophane and tied the ribbon so neatly.'_ the cowboy thought, his eyes glued to the flowers themselves. _'I wonder if he's that careful in all aspects of his life._ '

 

“All right... yeah, he went crazy.” Olivia took a step back, “He's just holding the flowers and not moving. We all knew this day was coming.”

 

“Jesse really, what happened?” Fareeha was pressing at her temple with both, index and middle fingers, “I'm a bit lost in here, this story is in pieces and I'm curious now.”

 

“I think I know who he's referring to.” Olivia was washing her hands in the sink, a knowing smirk on her face, “Yeah, I know who it is!” she snapped her fingers.

 

Lena, who had gone to the front in order to place some fresh pastries into the display case, arrived right there and heard the tail of the conversation, “Who or what are we talking about? Did Jesse finally took a couple of shots of bourbon and spoke to the florist guy?”

 

“You could say that.” the cowboy finally confessed, his words were followed by a half-concealed sigh. “And he is absolutely gorgeous up close. Not that he wasn't from a distance already.”

 

“At least we know he is not drunk.” Olivia laughed as she tied on her apron. “He's just mesmerized. He finally spoke with the florist guy.”

 

“The other Shimada?” Amari inquired surprised, “You actually did it?”

 

“Yes I did.” Jesse admitted. Truth to be told, everyone in Gibraltar street knew the last name of the brothers because Genji took it upon as if it had been a quest, to introduce himself to almost every person who lived in the vicinity. He had made friends with most of the mechanics at the auto-shop, not to mention that he visited Ana's tea store a lot. Also Mei, who was the owner of the ice cream shop a few doors down had met him as well; she has an adorable little Pomeranian named Snowball that Genji swore to one day steal away.

 

Even Jesse knew of the younger Shimada sibling. Officer Reyes did as well, and that included Mr. Morrison, who owned a small shop where he sold produce that he himself cultivated and harvested.

 

“And how did it go?” Lena asked.

 

“I'll tell you the rest later, because for now, we got pastries to bake and a shop to run.” McCree stated, “But don't get too excited, because nothing much was said.”

 

“Aye, aye, captain!'” Lena saluted with hand to her forehead, then went back to her duties, the rest of the group followed suit.

 

After a few minutes of relative silence Olivia, who was mixing the ingredients for a custard, yelled from the back of the shop, “I just remembered, you owe me five bucks Fareeha!”

 

The youngest Amari grunted and yelled back from the register, “Dammit Jesse! This is your fault.”

 

“I'm pretty sure you'll get over it.” that was all McCree said while attempting not to laugh out loud.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The hours went by quickly. Orders were delivered, pastries were sold with the same frequency as any other day, and before long it was almost time to close the shop. The flower bouquet had been sent to Ana's home at lunch hour, and Jesse made a mental note to go and visit her later on that same week to see how she was doing.

 

But it was then when Lena asked McCree, “Are you planning to go back there? I mean,” the brunette shrugged, “you finally broke the ice, so... Are you gonna make another excuse to visit him?”

 

The whole day had passed with no other mention about McCree's visit to the florist up until that point, which made Jesse count his blessings because Olivia and Fareeha would often team up to tease him ceaselessly whenever they were given the chance.

 

It was all going so well, until Lena brought the topic back again.

 

“I don't know.” the smell of cinnamon rolls filled the establishment, and more people came in as if they had been lured towards it by the delicious aroma. No one could blame them, it was probably true. “Well, maybe.” he shrugged. On his hands he held a tray filled with chocolate chip cookies. “Maybe some other day I'll stop by. To be honest, walking into the flower shop was pretty much a decision I made at the very last minute.”

 

“Jesse you made me lose five bucks today, you better go through this whole thing.” Fareeha mentioned nonchalantly while she handed a customer a bag filled with mini-pies. “Did you even ask for his name?”

 

And on that moment McCree's mind went completely blank. It was as if static had taken over.

 

_Oh, no!_

 

Not only had he forgotten to ask the florist for his name, he had also been so nervous and so out of it, that he gave the elder Shimada his name and then went on talking without giving the chance to the florist to do the same.

 

“Well...” he chewed his lower lip for a while, “I must admit that I forgot that little detail.” but, just as everything else in life, his little mishap does have a solution as well. _Hopefully_.

 

“How could you forger _that_.” Olivia approached him, a bowl of strawberry frosting in her hands. “That's like, the most important thing when you're meeting someone for the first time.”

 

Jesse groaned, placed the tray on the counter and then proceeded to hide his face in the palm of his hands. “Don't remind me.”

 

“Aw, pobrecito.” the hacker cooed, “You'll get over it... I hope, for all of our sakes and sanity."

 

“So that means you're going back? Right?” Lena prompted cheerfully. “You have to!”

 

“Says the little miss who can't get the seamstress to go with her on a date.” Fareeha's snarky comment reached the back of the shop.

 

“For your information,” the brunette popped her head out of the back room, “I actually asked her out, and she said yes.”

 

Pharah laughed. She was genuinely happy for her friend, at least things were working out for Lena. “You do _know_ her name right?” she glared pointedly at Jesse, who was placing the tray with the chocolate chip cookies in the display case pretending not to listen. He was above such childish behavior and teasing. _Right?_

 

“Of course I do. Who do you take me for? Unlike Jesse here, I am competent!” she giggled.

 

“Haha. How funny you are.” the cowboy growled, then added with a serious voice, “Does the word ' _fired'_ sound nice to you?”

 

“It actually sounds quite dreadful.” Lena answered in an equally serious voice, and even though she knew he truly didn't mean it, she went back to work, but not without winking at her boss.

 

“Come on McCree, didn't the florist had a badge with his name or something similar?” the tall woman inquired. Honestly she was curious beyond belief. Specially since no one had known about Jesse's attraction until one day, a couple of months ago, a small rumor began to spread through the street all thanks to officer Reyes; who would usually drive down the street the same time when Jesse was walking towards the bakery. He had noticed that the cowboy would walk deliberately slow, so that whenever he stepped in front of the flower shop he would have time to look inside without stopping and look through the glass windows.

 

Sometimes Jesse waved to the florist, and usually Shimada replied in kind; either with a wave of his own, a small smile or even a nod if he was too busy.

 

If it had been a one-time occurrence no one would had payed attention to it, but it kept on happening, and so, one day he confessed, after being questioned for almost an hour, that he was indeed attracted to the elder Shimada brother. First, he told Fareeha, Lena and Olivia; later on he told Ana and Gabriel. The rest of the people found out because some of them cannot keep their mouth shut for long.

 

Not that it truly mattered anyway. Sooner or later they would have found out.

 

“Well, he wasn't ever wearing a badge with his name, and there was nothing with it anywhere else either.” the cowboy replied pensively. He had been so distracted that he had noticed little else. It was as if he had been hypnotized by Shimada's voice and his whiskey colored eyes. “But yeah, I'm coming back there. _Today_.” he declared as a triumphal grin appeared on his lips, “Can't let him think I was being impolite, my mama didn't raise me to be like that.”

 

“You're going back, for real?” Lena asked enthusiastically.

 

“Of course.” the cowboy shrugged and then faced Olivia, “Say, do we still have some of those strawberry cupcakes we made earlier?” he was untying his apron and grabbing a small cardboard box colored in vivid red and yellow, they usually had those for special deliveries. “That way I can get his name, and also give him something in return for the flowers.”

 

“Wow, it's almost as if you planned it. And yes, we sure do have some left.” the hacker answered, “Think you still got time? It's almost six o'clock.”

 

“Well, if the shop is closed then I'll knock on his door, he lives right there.” Jesse was happily placing the cupcakes in the box. Each of them had either yellow or red baking cups, a generous amount of frosting and a few slices of strawberry on top of each one. “There we go.” he closed the lid of the box, “I'm off, see you tomorrow.”

 

It was not as if they were not used to either closing or opening the shop anyway, Fareeha had a copy of the key for that purpose and he knew it. So, he left knowing that the business was in good hands.

 

“Good luck.” Fareeha waved at the cowboy as he made his way out. “Bring good news!”

 

“Fingers crossed!” Lena said, and on that same instant officer Reyes made his way in. “Oh! Hello Gabriel.”

 

“Hello to you as well.” he then gave a glance back at the door, “What's up with him?” Reyes asked, after noticing that Jesse didn't even greet him back when he was on his way out.

 

“Guess you could say that he's trying to get to the florist's heart through his stomach.” Lena winked at the police man, “He finally spoke with him this morning.”

 

“Wait really?” Gabriel's surprise was evident. “That was unexpected.”

 

“Yes, and that means you owe me five bucks.” Pharah declared. There were bets ongoing on everything and in every business across the street, of that everyone was sure. “And don't try to weasel out of it this time!”

 

“Only if you tell me the whole story.” Gabriel retorted, “From the start, and do you have any cinnamon rolls around here?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Hanzo was tending to one of his frequent customers, they had been holding a conversation for a good fifteen minutes. It was as always, whenever Satya visited in order to get her bi-weekly bouquet of white roses or simply to chat Hanzo was delighted.

 

“So that means you gave him the flowers, got his name but did not have the chance to give him yours?” the architect inquired while watching the florist work on a series of boutonnieres. The delicate orchids and calla lilies were placed together in front of a few eucalyptus leaves, then tied together with a thin white ribbon. “How inconvenient.” Vaswani offered while Hanzo completed one boutonniere after another with practiced ease.

 

“Indeed.” he replied as he placed together another set of flowers, “But it could have been worse.”

 

On that moment from the corner of her eye, Satya noticed some movement. Just outside, stood the cowboy. He was straightening his clothing and she smiled discreetly, “Of course it could have been. He could have been discouraged from ever coming back but; I believe he will be returning, sooner than you think.” with that, she stood up, grabbed the dozen white roses wrapped in transparent cellophane and wished her friend, who was yet to look away from his work, a good evening.

 

“I will see you soon my friend.” Vaswani offered as a goodbye, then promptly walked out of the door while offering a short nod at the cowboy.

 

Inside, soft music played on the background and the florist continued working as Jesse walked in. An orchid in full bloom, with a smell reminiscent of citrus rested near the entrance. He held the box of pastries in front of his chest, as if the flimsy cardboard was a shield, and cleared his throat to gather the florist's attention.

 

“Hello.” The cowboy called, and as his voice traversed through the shop and reached Shimada's ears, a surprised gasp was heard.

 

“Greetings.” the florist replied, “What brings you here so soon?” surprise was evident in his face. He left the half-finished boutonniere he was working on over the small table he had been using and stood up in order to greet the cowboy properly.

 

“You see...” Jesse began but stopped right away. How was he going to bring up the subject in a smooth way? Without making it obvious that he forgot to ask for the florist's name and shame himself for it.

 

But as if he had been reading his thoughts, the elder Shimada extended a hand to the cowboy who was yet to let go of the box of pastries and smiled, “I forgot to introduce myself this morning.” He paused for a few seconds, “I am Shimada Hanzo. At your service.” he said in a clear voice then smiled as McCree shook his hand.

 

“Such a pretty name for a pretty face, I'll say.” Jesse winked at the florist who flushed slightly and prayed to every deity that it was not too evident. “Here, brought you some cupcakes.” the box of pastries was offered to Hanzo along with a smile from the baker. “A small token of my appreciation for what you did for me this morning.”

 

The florist accepted the box he had been offered then frowned, “I told you that you were not indebted to me.”

 

“And I said I was gonna repay you somehow.” Jesse rebutted with a knowing smirk.

 

The box was placed over the counter and Hanzo inquired, “Were the flowers to your friend's liking?”

 

“I sent them with her daughter, but I bet she did. Gotta ask her though.” McCree answered, “Oh, maybe you know her? She's Ana Amari, the owner of the tea shop near the corner a few doors down from here.”

 

“Yes, I do know of her. I have been by her shop a few times in order to try new blends.”

 

“You don't say!” Jesse was genuinely surprised and a bit disappointed, because he never crossed paths with Hanzo when he had been there before.

 

“I blame it on Genji.” the florist admitted, “My brother dragged me there the first two times, then I decided to return on a few other occasions. She makes quite delightful tea mixtures.”

 

“Yeah.” the cowboy agreed and the eyed the clock on the far wall, “Well, I should let you go back to work.”

 

“Of course...”

 

Even after that, they continued to stand there, among the flowers in silence except for the soft music that was still playing on the background. There was something magical about the whole setting and neither of them wanted the moment to end. Smiles on both of their faces and in a bold move, Jesse reached over in order to remove a flower petal that was lodged on Hanzo's hair.

 

The silky texture of the petal was nothing compared to that of Hanzo's hair in Jesse's humble opinion.

 

“Sorry, there was a...” he then showed the small white petal to the florist.

 

“I see.” he replied, “There is no need to apologize.”

 

“Uh, well, I should go now.”

 

As Jesse turned around in order to leave, Hanzo called for him. “Wait just a moment.” he said, then reached over for the tray where the boutonnières were lined over, took one and then proceeded to pin it over the left side of Jesse's button-up shirt, right above his heart. A small smile was on Hanzo's face as he did so. “Thank you for the pastries.”

 

“And here I was celebrating because I was not indebted to you anymore.” McCree eyed the flowers on his chest. The warmth from Hanzo’s touch still lingered and he relished in the sensation. A few seconds later, the baker blinked and nodded at the florist, “These are beautiful.” he said slightly in awe, “It will be a sad day when they wither.”

 

“I endeavor to make you a new one when that happens.” the florist promised in a low voice as he moved closer to the cowboy.

 

“I would like that.” the baker replied, he felt as if he was floating. His heart beating rapidly and he felt out of breath as well, “I-”

 

But his next sentence was cut short, for Genji arrived right then.

 

“Hey, Hanzo.” the younger Shimada greeted before taking in the scene. “And McCree?”

 

“Long time no see Genji.” the baker waved at Genji, took a step back and then faced Hanzo, “I gotta go. See you soon.” Jesse proceeded to make his way out of the shop, quite hastily. He practicaly disappeared after walking through the door.

 

“So... this was quite the surprise.” the younger sibling smirked at Hanzo. “Anything to tell me, brother?”

 

“Nothing of importance.” Hanzo then turned around and went back to work. "And do not ask about it."

 

“Oh cupcakes!” Genji's chirpy voice traversed through the place as he lunged over to open the box.

 

“You touch a single piece of them, even if it is the frosting,” the elder Shimada hissed as he placed the finished boutonnières to the side, “and I will tear all the fingers off your hands.”

 

“But anija! You have to share, think of the diabetes.”

 

“Diabetes is a risk I am willing to take.” He said while taking the red and yellow box filled with the pastries and disappearing into his home. “Do lock the front door, please.”

 

“Haaaanzooooooooo!”

 

“No! now go away!” the florist placed the box close to his chest as Genji made his way upstairs and into the kitchen, “My cupcakes! Get your own.”

 

“You're a terrible brother.” Genji said in a whiny voice.

 

“Been called worse.” The florist retorted as he chewed on one of the quite delicious and fluffy cupcakes, “Now be silent, and maybe I will share one with you.”

 

“You're just like this because your _boyfriend_ gave them to you.” somehow, the younger Shimada reminded Hanzo of a spoiled brat, just sometimes. The only thing missing on that moment was Genji stomping onto the floor and pouting.

 

“And that right there,” Hanzo pointed at his brother with a cupcake in his hand, “Is why you are not getting a single one of these.”

 

But it was all for naught, because Hanzo ended up giving two of the pastries to his brother anyway.

 

“So how did this happen?” Genji asked after taking a bite out of one of the cupcakes.

 

“It all began after you left in the morning...”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The orchid that smells like citrus is called "Rhynchostylis Gigantea" known as "Fox Tail" orchid. the smell is quite spicy/citrusy. We got one in the house, the "cartoon" version. It may be a small plant but the smell is quite potent I tell you.
> 
> And the song that Jesse is always whistling is "Heartache by the Number" by Guy Mitchell.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Petunias

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to bring you an update, please don't throw any shoes at me... but no, I will never abandon this fic, I just had some issues here at home.  
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 

Jesse all but ran out of the flower shop, and all right, he would never admit to it but he was feeling rather sheepish for having done so. He was neither a thief nor a felon to be running out of places like that just because the brother of the owner interrupted their conversation. Still, even if their impromptu meeting had been cut short he was glad, more than that, he was absolutely elated.

 

That conversation had been similar to a balm for his yearning heart. More than what he had hoped to accomplish really.

 

He touched the delicate flowers that composed the boutonniere with is index and hummed, “Soft as silk.” he murmured, but then it came to his mind the sudden realization that in fact, those flowers would be withering soon, and even if Hanzo had promised to make him another one, he wanted to preserve the first gift that the florist had ever given to him.

 

What to do?

 

He could place them inside the fridge... but they would still wither. A photo was too impersonal, he wanted the whole thing, not a mere piece of paper or an image in his phone. He wanted something tangible... something real.

 

Jesse walked down the street until he reached what everyone fondly called the _'grease monkey hub'._

 

Surely the mechanics knew about something he could use to preserve the boutonniere, he went in without thinking about it too much, he knew every single one of the people who worked there anyway. The baker made his way towards the office first, he would try with old Torb, if not, then he would try the rest of the group one by one. Who knows, maybe Junkrat was the one with the solution to his current predicament. Or maybe not, he wanted the flowers to be whole, not to be left with a few charred petals and a burned ribbon. Still, the saying: “Don't knock it 'till you try it.” came to his mind.

 

The office was deserted, so he decidedly just went around the place following the loud music and noises produced by metal hitting on metal that came from further in. Under the hood of a pink Camaro he found Brigitte. She was singing along with the song that was playing and hadn't noticed Jesse's arrival, but he was ought to be careful. Once, he had startled Reinhardt and he received quite the hit on his shoulder courtesy of the engine pieces that Wilhelm had been working with and had suddenly dropped on top of Jesse, the baker had believed it would be funny to tickle old Rein while he was busy. The bruise took days to disappear, lesson learned right there.

 

“Hey, Brigitte.” he called.

 

“Hmmm?” was all he heard, as a response. She must have thought he was a customer, or perhaps she was more focused in the car than her surroundings.

 

“Brig!” Jesse was louder the next time, “I need some help.”

 

“Ah! Jesse!” she finally had taken her head out from under the hood of the car, “Sorry, I was kinda busy.”

 

“I can see that.” the baker offered her a smile, “If is not much trouble, I gotta ask you something real quick.”

 

The young lady began cleaning her hands with an old rag and left her tools over a rusty table, “Sure. What is it?”

 

“Do you know any way in which I could preserve these?” he pointed at the flowers attached to his button-up shirt. “They were a gift and I don't want them to wither any time soon.”

 

She lifted an eyebrow and then stared at the delicate little arrangement of flowers, “I don't know how to preserve those but maybe Zarya or Rein know? Or maybe even Hana. She was here earlier, I mean, this is her car so, she is still here.” she pointed around at the people she had mentioned and located the owner of the Camaro in the distant corner tinkering with the engine of a pick-up truck. “There she is.”

 

“Sure, just don't call Jaime... you know that if something doesn't explode he's not into it. I'm surprised this place is still standing.” McCree joked.

 

“Nah, is not that bad. He's actually quite competent when he is focused.” she then left Jesse in order to gather the group. That was done rather quickly, the day was almost ending and the shop was about to close anyway.

 

They all greeted Jesse and Reinhardt patted him on the back repeatedly. McCree admitted to himself that old Rein had almost made him spit out a lung with those _'pats'_ , that man was a walking wall of muscle.

 

“Hey Jesse, long time no see. What is it that you need?” the first one to ask was Hana, “Brig, told us that it was urgent and also something _special_ , so, spit it out already.”

 

“I just want to preserve these, in a safe way that doesn't imply me putting them in the fridge, pressing them inside a book, or anything like that.” he pointed at the boutonniere once more.

 

“And who gave you _that_?” Hana quipped while moving forward trying to reach for the flowers but Jesse gave a sudden step back, letting out an alarmed yelp.

 

“Whoa! Nope. You ain't touching these with yer greasy fingers!” he placed both hands over the flowers, but with a small distance between his palm and the delicate petals to avoid crushing them.

 

“Aw, come on!”

 

“After I'm sure these can be preserved, then you can touch them flowers.” Jesse nodded along with his words, “Anyhow, I just want to know if you guys have something I could use?” he was becoming a bit giddy, or maybe a bit desperate.

 

“But where did you get that? And why is it so important?” it was Brigitte who phrased the question.

 

The baker groaned out loud, “What is it with you all and this whole inspector crap?” he was becoming rather giddy, shifting his weight from one foot to another. “Why is the identity of the person who gave me these so damn important?”

 

“We got some old bets ongoing here and there's one related to you, flowers, and a certain florist,” Mako said. When had he gotten there? Jesse had no idea.

 

“All right...” he sighed, guess it was time to give up. Seemed as if that lot were more interested in the gossip than helping anyway. “The owner of the flower shop gave them to me. Satisfied now?” he admitted, much to this chagrin.

 

Jesse received nods of approval and beaming smiles in exchange for his answer, and to that he added “Grupo de _chismosos_...” through gritted teeth. “ _Lleva vidas..._ ” he was definitely _not_ being grumpy.

 

“See, that wasn't so hard to admit now, wast it?” Hana's mocking tone reached the baker's ears. “Zarya you owe me ten bucks!” miss Song then laughed and elbowed the taller woman on her ribs.

 

Seeing as if they were more interested in their meager earnings through the bets they had made, he decided to raise his voice above those of the rest of the group, the hour was growing late and he still had to visit Ana's home, he was tired, hungry, and just wanted to leave.

 

“Shut up, for fuck's sake!” Jesse yelled, which resulted in the group of mechanics becoming quiet and facing him with a sheepish look in all their faces. “Finally.” he smirked at them, “And now that I have your attention, can you help me? I'm tired of asking.”

 

“All right, all right, I believe we _all_ heard you.” that was Torbjorn, who somehow appeared out of nowhere, the man had a knack of doing that. Still, when he came upon the improvised little reunion, for a moment he thought they had been drinking. “So, any ideas? Anyone?”

 

And that right there was how the entire group became something similar to a reunion of _very_ deranged geniuses. That was the only way Jesse could put it. Every single one of the mechanics were suggesting a different technique to preserve the flowers. As the discussion went on among themselves, McCree laughed for a short while. Their faces showed a truly varied range of emotions, some were deeply concentrated yet muttering, others were just miles away mentally. Fact was that just a moment later, Jesse almost feared for his life, not because of them but for the materials they were suggesting.

 

It was kind of similar to a symposium really, only that the brainstorm was happening in the middle of an automobile repair center. Torbjorn suggested a miniaturized vacuum sealed chamber, shaped as a small crystal box but made out of a special alloy that could withstand the vacuuming process. Then Hana said that the cost could be rather high, “Also, it could damage the flowers.”

 

Then Zarya mentioned that he could use liquid nitrogen, but Brigitte spoke up, “First the flowers would become really brittle, as the water within their cells would freeze completely.” she sat down on an empty bucket turned upside down, “But when the effect of the nitrogen is gone and everything melts away, the flowers would lose their structure and become a gooey mess. This is not recommendable.”

 

They went on talking and McCree felt out of it, he knew most of the materials they were mentioning but he was not truly sure it could work. Mako suggested formaldehyde, Jaime mentioned silica gel, and Hana spoke a bit about vegetable glycerin. They went on and on, droning about techniques and crystal domes to preserve roses.

 

“Hey, this ain't beauty and the beast.” the baker muttered when he heard the bit about the flowers within a crystal case but was completely ignored, and when Jesse was about to tell them to forget it, Reinhardt approached him.

 

“They will be like that for a while and you know it.” Wilhelm said with a fond smile, “But I have an idea that will actually work without too much of a fuss,” he pointed to the supplies area, “Follow me.”

 

“What is it that you got in mind?” the baker's curiosity was evident.

 

“Simple, we use epoxy resin.” German mechanic said as he grabbed the pertinent containers and materials, “Is simple, quick and preserves flowers rather well. Even the colours remain vivid for years to come if everything is done right.”

 

“Rein, I think you just made my day with that.” truth to be told, Jesse had heard of epoxy resin and had even seen videos about it in the net. “How long will it take?”

 

“Just go home and let me work on it.” the mechanic told the baker, “This may take a few days, but I will let you know when I'm done.”

 

At the end of it all, Reinhardt managed to put it all together and told Jesse to call him in three or four days. McCree handed the boutonniere to Rein and left with a spring in his step.

 

* * *

 

Jesse on his way back, and after the night had fallen in completely, went to Ana's home. His visit was a short one, they had a small conversation while drinking tea and Amari had that look on her face as if she knew something that Jesse did not. And _that_ scared Jesse.

 

“What did Fareeha tell you?” he huffed, as was pretty sure it had been her who told Ana... whatever it was that she knew.

 

“Nothing too important.” there was smugness in Amari's tone, “Just that a little bird told her and then she told me that certain florist and you are getting into _friendly_ terms.”

 

“Friendly is a stretch...” he confessed, truth to be told they were acquaintances at best. “More like, passerby buddies?”

 

“Is that what they're calling it these days, huh?”

 

“I guess?” McCree was actually trying to avoid a barrage of questions about his nonexistent love life and his obviously nonexistent relationship with the florist. “Say, was that bird dressed in blue, and going around like a parrot repeating everything?” Jesse tried to joke.

 

“Every wave starts as a small ripple in the water.” Ana's tone let him know that there was more to it, “Remember that. And yes, it was Fareeha who told me.”

 

The baker sighed, “Nothing escapes you.”

 

“Nothing at all, now talk.” Ana took a sip from her tea while awaiting eagerly for Jesse to finally confess everything.

 

“You see, I managed to have a short conversation with him today.” McCree confessed, while promising himself internally to give Pharah a bigger work load for being the meddling little parrot she had been.

 

“How so?” Ana crossed her hands over the table, her interest in the tale was more than evident.

 

“I was in his shop before coming here.” He said, then as he finished his cup of tea and was about to continue with the story, Fareeha arrived, and instead of telling Ana the story he wasted no time on getting on her nerves. “Reeha you dammed tattletale!” McCree stuck out his tongue, because seriously, he was not beyond acting as if he was a five year old when he thought it was required. “Can't trust you with anything.” he said in a mocking tone.

 

“Oh, come on Jesse, everyone knows! _Everyone_!” Fareeha lifted both of her arms dramatically, “If anything, you should be thankful that we all want to give you a push in the right direction.”

 

“Feels more like a shove!” Jesse joked as he began to run out of the house right when Pharah threw a shoe at him. “Tattletale! Tattletale! Tattletale!” the baker chanted as he stood by the main entrance door of the modest home, ready to bolt the moment Fareeha decided to go through with her threat of throwing the other shoe at him. He added with an overly dramatic tone, and with a hand on his chest “I trusted you and you betrayed me.”

 

“Jesse, you're the worst!” Fareeha had the other shoe ready to be thrown at Jesse, this time it was well aimed and en route towards his face. “Shut up!”

 

“Children behave!” Ana yelled as the front door closed after Jesse ran away. The loud thud of the shoe hitting wood followed right away. “Fareeha, you ruined everything!”

 

“Wait... what?” Pharah inquired as she took a seat across from her mother, “What did I do?”

 

“I was about to get the whole story from him. You know how it goes,” the elder Amari sighed, “is better to get the facts straight from the _source_.”

 

“But I told you all there's to know.” Pharah told her mother, “Besides, I thought you didn't like gossip.”

 

“No you didn't tell me everything, because _he_ is the one living through this, not you.” Ana pressed her thumb and index over the bridge of her nose, “And besides, you know I live by the _'not my circus, not my monkey_ ' politic, only that this time I do live in the circus and I know all the monkeys in here.”

 

“Mom you have become a gossiping old lady!” Fareeha joked, then realized what Ana had just said and the smile dropped from her lips, “Did you just call me monkey?”

 

“Nonsense.” Ana snorted, “If I were a corsair and wore an eye-patch, you would be the parrot over my shoulder.”

 

Pharah harrumphed and crossed both arms above her chest, “Bamboozled again, and this time by my own mother.”

 

“Just so.”

 

* * *

 

An entire week passed by in the blink of an eye. The weather had been a changeable mess of sunny mornings, rainy afternoons and cold windy nights. Fitting, Hanzo would say, at least for early spring; as it seemed that winter refused to yet give way to the next season. The last of the spring frost had passed already, and Hanzo awaited patiently for a couple of potted petunias he had transplanted to bloom, as they were to be a gift for a certain baker who lived nearby. He was indebted to him after receiving those cupcakes, and as his grandfather always said, _'A Shimada must never fall into debt.'_ and the cupcakes he had been given certainly counted as being in debt.

 

_Right?_

 

If Genji was to be asked, -and of course, Hanzo would never bring up the baker's name when he was talking to his meddling younger brother- he would say, _'Yes indeed anija, keep telling yourself that... whatever helps you sleep better at night.'_ and well... Genji had indeed said it mere seconds before running off to the bookshop that was located three buildings down; the place was owned by a monk named Zenyatta.

 

The elder Shimada sibling was obviously _not_ looking for any excuse to have a conversation with McCree, neither was he seeking his company... he was certainly _not_.

 

Of course he was also in denial, but Hanzo would never admit to that either.

 

“And I am not making up excuses to visit him either.” he mumbled as me made his way into the confines of the small greenhouse he had built behind his home. The florist spoke to the plants he kept in there as a way to voice out his own thoughts without any interruptions or teasing. He found it quite therapeutic.

 

The scent of the blooming gardenia bush near the entrance filled the greenhouse with the sweet aroma of the bright white flowers, Hanzo made his way in there quietly. He placed his cellphone on a shelf after choosing a music playlist that would fit his current mood, rolled up his sleeves while humming alongside with the song that was playing and got to work.

 

He began watering a row of roses with a beaming smile on his lips. The ones that had already bloomed were coloured in either a beautiful coral pink or a bright yellow. By the time he was putting down the watering can, he had already planned to put those roses to use in several small floral arrangements that were to be delivered in the following days. Hanzo was more than proud to say that he had plenty of flowers there that he had planted, grown and cared for, all by himself, and he used them quite often in his shop, it showed his dedication and capability one could say.

 

That was one of the things he truly liked about his job. How something so simple as flowers could be arranged in such a way that it could bring happiness to so many people. A secret smile shared between lovers as a bouquet of red roses was handed to one another, some solace brought to those battling illness and were given a few simple sunflowers to brighten up their rooms as they were convalescent. It may not seem as much but, he liked to believe that what he did made a small difference in the life of some people.

 

Lost for a while in his thoughts, he had absentmindedly wandered towards the section where the tulips and chrysanthemum were placed, checked them for any sort of fungal infestations, slugs or snails and apids. “All of you look good today.” His voice carried a light tone filled with joy. This was followed by a short round about at the carnivorous plant he had ordered a week ago as he had always done for months. That's sort of a long story there, but there is one specific costumer that comes by every week looking for new carnivorous plants. She is always there like clockwork, every Tuesday in the afternoon, and Hanzo... well, he wouldn't be telling the truth if he was to say that he was not curious as to what was doctor O'Deorain doing with all of those flytraps, nepenthes, sarracenias, and also sundews. He was a bit afraid to ask anyway, but anyhow, she was always polite and calm so he was happy to help her. On that week he had ordered for her a butterwort that had the usual bright purple shade of color that was common on those plants.

 

After checking on the pansies, daffodils and his prized orchids, the florist found himself standing in front of the two potted petunias he had transplanted recently. They had small clusters of buds here and there, but the flowers were yet to bloom. He raised an eyebrow and grabbed the watering can, “A few more days and you will be ready.” he told the plants.

 

* * *

 

The sunset was spreading a bright palette of golden and purple tones over the sky on that Sunday afternoon as Hanzo had found himself delivering a floral arrangement at the last possible minute.

 

“Unbelievable.” he said. He loved his job but sometimes, just sometimes, he wished to be somewhere else... anywhere else in fact. This was supposed to be his free day but there he was, returning from a delivery, and at a late hour on top of that.

 

The florist was walking down near the apartment building that was at the very end of the street where his shop was located. In front of it there was a willow tree that some people usually sat under. There were a couple of benches underneath it for that purpose, and on that day it was not an exception. He recognized the silhouette of his younger brother from quite far away and also the obnoxiously bright green of his hair, so he was resolute to cross the street and walk away as fast as possible. He knew Genji too well, he was going to call Hanzo to join them and the florist wanted to avoid exactly _that_. He didn't feel any hatred towards any of the people in that street, in fact he considered that they were all quite nice and respectful, but he just wanted a quiet afternoon in his house, preferably just reading or sitting down eating ice cream and cake while watching some movies.

 

But alas, it was too late, because while Hanzo was imagining the perfect late afternoon or in his case, the early evening that he would have, Genji called his name... just his luck.

 

“Anija!” the younger Shimada's sibling shouted as he beckoned to his brother animatedly with both hands. “Come join us.”

 

And as if by cue, the whole group turned around in unison and began waving at him to join them.

 

“ _Thanks_ Genji.” he hissed under his breath while he made his way towards the small gathering, “You just _ruined_ my day.”

 

But while Hanzo was dreading approaching the group and was busy cursing his sibling to oblivion and back in his head, he failed to notice the presence of a certain tall baker among the people gathered there.

 

And for his part, Jesse forgot how to breathe the moment he saw Hanzo approaching. He was not nervous... nope, not at all.

 

Jesse took in Hanzo's arrival in quiet contemplation. The man wore a pristine white button up shirt, a vest with a red rose pinned near the the upper pocket, right where a crisp white folded handkerchief was. The vest's burgundy colour brought up the blues and yellows from the sleeve tattoo that could be seen in the arm of the florist, the partially uncovered skin was glittering under the light of the setting sun and could be seen thanks to the folded sleeve of the dress shirt. Jesse admittedly got nervous, his mouth became dry and he swallowed, then took a couple of deep breaths. Hanzo was a gorgeous man no matter what.

 

 _'Dammit_.' Jesse thought, he felt like a frog in front of a prince. And he knew a kiss would probably break the spell, and boy, was he willing to try and get said kiss.

 

When Hanzo finally reached the group, they were about to send for ice cream at Mei's shop. The indecisive bunch still trying to pick a flavor before Jesse and Reinhardt would be on their way towards the shop. Hanzo greeted everyone and received a warm welcome, but before either Ana or maybe Lena were able to drag him into some sort of interrogatory that would rival one developed by the FBI, Genji stood up and dragged him towards his spot on the grass, away from the awkward flirting between Gabriel and Jack. Those two were sitting on a bench and everyone else gave them a wide berth.

 

Besides, the questions about Jesse and Hanzo could wait. When the time for that came, Genji would be pretending that he was not the one who dragged Hanzo here.

 

“Look anija!” Genji reminded Hanzo of a young child as he showed his brother the new trick he had managed to teach Snowball. Meanwhile, Brigitte's cat was curled on the ground right beside Genji. The younger Shimada sibling seemed to be planning on kidnapping those pets right from underneath their owner's noses.

 

 _'Not again.'_ Hanzo screamed internally as he was reminded of an eight year old Genji who stole his classmate's pets. Needless to say, he had a amassed a small collection of hamsters, lizards, frogs, a cat and three birds. He cried a potential river the day Sojiro found out and forced him to give them back _and_ apologize.

 

To this day, how Genji managed to steal all of those animals without anyone in his home realizing what was going on until several months had passed, is still a mystery.

 

The rest of the group continued talking and Hanzo stood there not sure what to do with himself besides of petting the small fluffy dog that was currently yipping for attention. Why had Genji called him? He had no idea. The mechanics began discussing some things about a car they were repairing and that some pieces they needed were nearly impossible to find. Ana, Zenyatta and Satya were engrossed in a chat about the different qualities of tea and so on. The entire group was having a great time sitting underneath the tree without a worry in the world. For a moment Hanzo felt as if he was back in his home town.

 

About ten minutes later, Reinhardt and McCree arrived both holding cardboard trays filled with ice cream cones and small double wall paper containers with bright spoons of varied flavors.

 

“The cavalry is here!” The German mechanic announced loudly as he handed one of the trays to Zarya. “We bring glittering prizes!”

 

“The two cones of strawberry and coconut are mine!” Lena yelled, and right after she began to search among the trays to try and find her's and Emily's frozen treats.

 

While Zarya and Fareeha fought over the the only chocolate and mint ice cream, Jesse approached Hanzo and offered him a cookies and cream cone that had been covered with strawberry sauce.

 

“Here.” The baker offered the frozen confection to the florist with a bright smile showing on his face, “Hope you like it.”

 

Hanzo for his part became nervous. What did that mean? Was McCree showing solidarity because the elder Shimada was the only one without ice cream? Or was he simply being friendly?

 

The florist accepted nonetheless, a shy smile on his lips, “You have my thanks.” he said and received a wink from Jesse in response. And of course that Hanzo's face became tomato red and he hoped right then and there that he could blame it on the heat. But what heat could there be if the sun was setting? And besides, it was early spring, the days were still not too hot after all. So, he did what any brave man in his situation would do and took a big bite out of his ice cream, dammed be the consequences and the brain freeze that would surely follow such an action.

 

Genji, who was still is sitting on his patch of grass with Mei's dog and Brigitte's cat, eating his matcha flavored ice cream, laughed internally, those two were grown men and _couldn't handle_ flirting.

 

“They're _hopeless_.” the younger Shimada sibling muttered.

 

Meanwhile, Hanzo and Jesse began a small conversation between them, it was more than obvious to the entire group that those two were smitten with each other. Their neighbors constantly elbowing each other on the ribs and the _'Pay up! You lost the bet!'_ along with _'I told you so.'_ became background noise for the baker and the florist.

 

“Thank you again for the ice cream.” Hanzo said, the flavor of the strawberry sauce still lingered in his mouth. “I will pay you back for this.”

 

Jesse raised his free hand as a sign to stop the florist, “No! It was a gift. I mean...” he was clearly nervous once more, he was tripping over words now, “It's a gift, please. Accept it as such.”

 

Hanzo offered the baker a fond smile and a nod of acceptance, “Very well.” he then approached Jesse and cleaned the corner of the baker's mouth with the handkerchief that was in the breast-pocket of his vest. His fingers still lingered over the sun kissed skin a few moments after. “You had a bit of a smear there.”

 

Jesse touched the florist's warm hand, it was a feather-like touch, yet its warmth would linger. Of that Hanzo was sure. “Thank you kindly.”

 

Everything became a bit blurry after that. Well, everything _but_ the both of them, the rest of the group might as well had been stickers on a wall for all that Jesse and Hanzo cared.

 

After the sun had set completely and neither of them were really minding the rest of the people, Jesse told Hanzo, “I got something to show you... uh... does that sound weird?” it sounded better in his head, of that he was more than sure.

 

“Oh, I does not...” he took a small pause as he tried to make a coherent sentence, which due to his nerves was not really going to happen at that rate, “I mean, I got something for you as well in... my home. A small gift.”

 

How had they become such a nervous mess? When did that happen? Their first interactions had been calm and comfortable, what was going on now? What had changed between them?

 

“Am _I_ making things weird?” they both muttered at the same time then pretended not to have heard the other.

 

Genji, who was by mere _'chance'_ for lack of a better word, still sitting nearby totally not spying on them in order to have information to spread to the rest of the group, groaned, “They're hopeless.”

 

Zenyatta who happened to be sitting by Genji's side, snickered. “Everything at its own pace Genji. A leaf does not fall from the tree before it is time for that to happen.”

 

Both the florist and the baker began to walk down the street in a comfortable silence a moment later, they left the group behind without a single goodbye for they had eyes only for each other, and both of them had been completely ignorant of the looks they were given as they retreated. People were elbowing each other, mainly Pharah, who nearly broke Olivia's ribs.

 

When they reached Hanzo's home, the florist opened the front door of the shop and afterwards faced McCree and told him to sit on a wooden stool and wait for a moment near the entrance. “I will return momentarily.” Jesse complied and began whistling while pretending not to be anxiously waiting to see what Hanzo wanted to give to him as a gift.

 

The place was quiet, the soft music that Hanzo usually had playing on the background was absent, and most of the lights were off. Still, Jesse took a glance around the place, he had always liked the colourful mix that the flowers gave the place, it reminded him of a painting. He saw roses, lilies, sunflowers and even tulips alongside some other blossoms he could not name, all of them were lined up in different containers; yet, the one that he payed more attention to was the small almost cartoon-like potted orchid near the door. The smell reminded him of tangerine, and the white and purple shades that the cluster of flowers in bloom had, reminded him of a type of candy he used to eat as a child.

 

Not five minutes had come to pass when McCree realized that Hanzo was coming back with a potted plant in bloom held between his hands, face slightly red and his eyes held a determined glare.

 

“These are for you.” the florist offered the plant to Jesse, “To repay you for the cupcakes that you gave to me the other day.”

 

Jesse accepted the plant but was confused, he had told Hanzo that the pastries had been a gift and that repayment was out of the question, but seemed as if the elder Shimada had taken it the other way around. “They're real pretty.” he stared at the deep crimson blossoms in awe, “What are these called?”

 

“Petunias.” Hanzo replied with an air of confidence this time, he was in his element after all. A bit nervous still, but this was his field of expertise.

 

“That's a lovely shade of red.” Jesse caressed one of the delicate petals softly, “I think I know where I want to place it, and if you could do me the honor of accompanying me...” McCree pointed at the door with his free hand, “I would like you expert opinion on the matter though.” truth to be told, he just wanted an excuse to expend more time with the florist. He just hoped that Hanzo accepted his proposal.

 

“Of course I will assist.” the florist said as he approached the door, “After all, I bet you require my expert opinion on this matter.” he joked.

 

“You bet I do, darling.”

 

Jesse froze as the last word escaped his lips, he had not meant to say that but alas, it happened. He had been calling Hanzo _'darling'_ in his head for a while and truly, it had been a slip of the mind _and_ his mouth. He just hoped that the florist would be willing to forgive his small mishap and pretend it didn't happen, the thing he wanted the least to happen was to scare Hanzo away after he had finally managed to talk to him and establish a sort of friendship with him.

 

Hanzo for his part was stunned momentarily and repeated the word within his head a hundred times over.

 

'Darling.'

 

'Darling'

 

_'Darling.'_

 

Jesse had called him darling and he felt both elated and scared. Had it been a slip? A joke? Was it a word that the baker used to refer to all of his friends?

 

“Sorry.” the sun kissed skin on Jesse's face had a reddish tint on it, “I-I'm Sorry, I didn't m-”

 

“It is quite all right.” Hanzo offered a reassuring smile and a nod, yet uncertainty was gnawing at his insides. “There is no need to apologize.” an instant later the florist pointed a the door, “Shall we?”

 

Outside, the streetlamps were beginning to light up the street, the starry sky featured a pale new moon. The fresh breeze of the early spring helped both men to clear their heads. Still, as they walked down the street side by side and as they took one step after the other their shoulders brushed, and so did their hands.

 

As they continued, and in a moment of both bravery and perhaps a bit of madness while Hanzo was staring at the moon, and Jesse was looking down at the potted plant he was carrying in one of his hands, they hooked their pinkie fingers. It was something that neither of them could explain if they were to be asked, it just happened. Hanzo felt as if his heart was about to burst from his chest and Jesse, well, he was sure than the florist would be able to hear his heartbeat without the assistance of a stethoscope quite soon.

 

Neither of them made any effort whatsoever to separate their fingers, in fact soon after, their ring-fingers became entwined, neither of them were sure as who was it that did it, it just happened as they walked right underneath a streetlamp. The bright light it shed illuminated both of their faces with a golden glow. A few steps later, their middle fingers became interlaced and the index fingers followed right away. One by one their fingers had come intertwined in a way that reminded Hanzo of someone walking over a staircase, or of a vine as it climbed over to a higher height.

 

Jesse's face was thankfully, shadowed by his Stetson, that way Hanzo would not notice the bright blush he was featuring as well as his big smile.

 

“ _Score!”_ Jesse thought, and yes it was only a bit of hand holding but he couldn't be happier.

 

For his part, Hanzo had forgotten how to breathe and he had tripped over and almost fell twice already.

 

“ _Please tell me that I am_ _ **not**_ _dreaming!”_ Hanzo said within his mind as he stopped himself from giggling out loud.

 

Somehow, they resembled school boys holding hands for the first time.

 

The main door that gave way into High Noon Bakery was where both men came to a stop and stood up in silence, in a sudden moment of clarity, Hanzo was the first to let go of Jesse's hand, he didn't truly notice the dejected look in the baker's face.

 

“I am an sorry for having held onto your hand without your permission.” Hanzo apologized as if he had done something actually wrong. Yet, the warmth from Jesse's hand still lingered in his.

 

“I ain't sorry.” Jesse replied, a broad smile on his lips, “Actually, I'm only sorry you let go.”

 

Hanzo gave him a surprised look, “Truly?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Without any more words, Jesse took out his key-chain and opened the door, signaling for Hanzo to go in first.

 

“After you.”

 

“Thank you.” as he stepped in the first thing he noticed as McCree turned on a few lights, was the cozy ambiance of the place. It was inviting, with vivid reds in most of the furniture and natural wood on the shelves, chairs and tables. The walls were lined with paintings that depicted the far west; cacti and red soil in almost all of them. In some of the windowsills there were small potted succulents.

 

One poster got the florist's attention more than the rest, it was framed with bright orange letters and the photo of a slice of steaming pie in the very center of it, _“Paradise is as sweet as a bite from a good pie.”_ it read.

 

“It was my mother's.” Jesse said answering the question that Hanzo was probably never going to ask out of politeness. “It had always been my favorite out of all the other poster she had in her cafe, so she gave it to me the day I moved out of the house.”

 

“It was a sweet gesture from her part.” Hanzo noticed a small unoccupied space underneath said poster and then glanced at Jesse who was still holding onto the potted petunia. “Any place in mind to hang or place the plant?”

 

“I was thinking, on a table near the window close to the poster.” he offered as a response, “It could look good and I got a spare table somewhere in the back.”

 

“I do agree as well.” Hanzo then eyed the poster once more. “Placing it right underneath the poster could be considered a tribute of sorts.” he offered.

 

“To what exactly?”

 

“New beginnings with a strong foundation.” Hanzo turned around and took a couple of steps to be closer to Jesse, “What do you think?”

 

“Sounds perfect.”

 

The table was simple and small, as to not take too much space. They cleaned it and placed a small yellow cloth over it before placing it underneath the poster, the petunias were then located in the center of the table surrounded by a few of the succulents that Jesse had taken down from the windowsills, the bright crimson flowers had fit the spot they were put in as if they were a piece of a puzzle.

 

The two of them contemplated the setup in a comfortable silence, up until Jesse broke it. He was curious about many things, he wanted to know more about Hanzo and he was also feeling quite elated because of the the gift he had received. No one had ever given him anything like it, and to be honest, he was enamored of the little plant. “Why did you choose red and what do them flowers mean?” the baker inquired, “Because I know that all flowers have a meaning, so I wanna know what these symbolize.”

 

“I chose red because it re-”

 

But Hanzo was unable to finish the sentence alongside with a short confession, because Jesse's phone rang on that moment.

 

“Ah, Angie my dear!” Jesse answered enthusiastically, “Yeah, yeah, I'm fine.”

 

Hanzo took that instant to consider what he was going to say, then realized that perhaps he was probably overstepping his bounds, _'The color reminds me of the serape you wear whenever it is cold.'_ Perhaps he should not say anything.

 

Besides, he was not sure about where he was standing with McCree, Jesse probably wanted to be friendly and nothing else, and Hanzo did not have any idea if the man was even interested in him, so he left. Crossed the front door as fast as his legs could carry him.

 

Jesse ended the call and turned around, he was resuming the conversation, “Red happens to be my favorite color you know...” he said but then realized that Hanzo had left without telling him.

 

But why?

 

McCree sighed and with a determined gleam in his eyes he decided to remain in the bakery a while longer, he was already planning to make the florist a few new pastries just for him. Besides, Hanzo had left before Jesse was able to ask about the care of the plant, so that gave him another reason to visit the florist. Indeed, he now had a veritable reason to do so, _right_?

 

He was _not_ looking for any excuses to be with Hanzo and expend time with him and share ice cream...

 

Jesse was aware that he was in denial and that someday he would have to accept it.

 

But today was not that day. And Jesse did not have the chance to show Hanzo the boutonniere preserved in resin either. Next time he visited the florist they would have a lot to talk about and even more of a chance to get to know each other. It was not love, at least _not yet_ , still the little seed had been planted within his heart and he wanted to nurture it. He hoped that Hanzo felt the same.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grupo de Chismosos: a group of people who like gossiping.  
> Lleva vidas: a person who likes to meddle in other people's affairs. (In my country we call them that and another more colorful term as well)
> 
> People grouping up under a tree and making impromptu gatherings is something that happens a lot in my country. Sometimes they become parties as well. But usually on hot days, a group of people sit under a tree to drink juice or soda or beer, share homemade ice cream or pastries and everytime someone from the street passes by there's plenty of greetings and sometimes that person sits down with the group. So the group keeps on growing more and more.
> 
> Petunias:  
> They symbolize desire to spend time with someone because you consider their company to be soothing and peaceful, they're also a symbol of not losing hope. (In another context, these flowers can also mean anger and resentment if you have had a recent disagreement with the person you sent them or gave them to.)
> 
> Thank you for reading.


	4. Macaroons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, first of all, my apologies for taking such a long time to update. Truth to be told, depression was eating me alive and as such, my will to do most things went down the drain.  
> I want to thank you for all the kudos and comments because those remind me that I'm not yelling into the void.
> 
> Second, a big thank you to **@th3darklady** who gave me a heads up about someone who was stealing one of my works and posting it on wattpad as their own.
> 
> This chapter was written thanks to that, because if there's something that gets me going is spite. I hate thieves, and I know I'm not the best writer or anything of the sort, I'm pretty lame and my writing leaves a lot to be desired, but I love writing anyway, and suddenly some faceless little thief comes and steals my work and posts it as their own! haha, a big no right there.
> 
> Well, other than that I thank you all for your patience, and just in case you want to communicate with me you can reach me out on twitter @ExhaustedKnight.
> 
> Now please enjoy the chapter, and apologies for any misspellings you may find. I will check it again later, just in case. (and feel free to throw shoes at me for taking so long to update.)

 

* * *

“So, let me get this straight,” Olivia said out loud while both of her hands were busy mixing ingredients for cookie dough. “he gave you a potted plant as a gift, you two were holding hands on your way back _here_ that night and you didn't even ask for his number?”

 

“To be fair, we got interrupted.” McCree shrugged, “I tried to ask him, several times I must add, but the moment never seemed right you see.”

 

“Haha! Fail!” Lena mocked in good nature. “You'll have to visit him again, besides this is literally just going drip-drop like an IV bag.”

 

“Slower than a snail going uphill.” Olivia added enthusiastically.

 

“Hey, show some respect to your current employer!” McCree protested, “Go back to work and stop pestering me.”

 

“Dammit Jesse!” this time was Fareeha who spoke up, “Seriously, we all saw the two of you talking all chummy and making doe eyes at each other. Just, ask him out already.”

 

“Well, I haven't had the chance to talk to him lately.” Jesse sighed, “In fact, his shop is always closed whenever I pass in front of it early in the morning, and in the evening on my way back down the street there's no one there either.”

 

“Maybe he got spooked?” Lena who was tending the register said loudly, “Or something happened to him? Moved out of town?”

 

“I doubt something happened to him, since his brother hasn't said anything about it, and the usually ' _well informed'_ neighbors that we have haven't said much either.” McCree mentioned absentmindedly, he was not about to wonder if he had in fact, scared off the florist. It was a possibility he was willing to ignore for the moment. “But anyway, I'll be back in a while. Need to clear my head.” He then walked through the back door without saying anything else as he had no destination in mind. Truth to be told, it had been several days since that Sunday when he had shared that ice cream with Hanzo under the willow tree at the end of the street.

 

He had begun to wonder if he had done something inherently wrong in the eyes of the florist. Had it been something that he had said? Or perhaps it was something else. Only thing was that he had no way to know, since Hanzo seemed to have been swallowed by the earth itself.

 

Still, that was also not it, because the florist had been opening his shop the whole week, Ana had informed McCree of that fact and Ms. Lacroix confirmed it two days ago when Lena asked her about the exquisite bouquet of lilies and gladiolus she was carrying when she stopped at Jesse's bakery to buy a few confections.

 

“What is going on...” the baker sighed, he actually felt rather stupid. The facts were there, Hanzo was avoiding him deliberately.

 

As he walked down the street he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw something he had expected to see, maybe a week after _never_. Gabriel Reyes was standing in front the main door that gave way to Mr. Morrison's produce shop with a huge bouquet of sunflowers held behind his back, his clothes ironed and well tailored. “Oh my God! He's gonna do it!” he yipped, “The mad lad is actually going for it!”

 

With a low whistle in Gabriel's direction to gather his attention, the baker offered the policeman a wave with his hand, then tipped his hat to wish him luck. Now that Reyes had finally decided to stop beating around the bush and get into a real relationship with Morrison for what it seemed, McCree laughed. “About damn time he did something about it.”

 

Jesse went on his merry way, lost in his thoughts about a certain florist until he collided with someone as he walked.

 

“Sorry.” Jesse had said as he planned to keep on walking, he was not intend to turn around to see who was it that he had nearly thrown onto the sidewalk. The baker's mind was definitely elsewhere.

 

“McCree?” the voice called.

 

“Yeah?” when the baker stopped and as he turned his head around, he realized who he was talking to.

 

“Long time no see.” Genji said animatedly. He had tripped over Jesse on his way out of Zenyatta's book shop. He could finally get some answers about his brother's strange behavior as of late.

 

“Same.” Jesse replied, “See you around.” he tried to resume his walk to nowhere in particular, but Genji's voice called for him once more.

 

“Look McCree,” the younger Shimada began, “I really don't know what's going between you and my brother. But you see, he's been acting strangely and I must know if you have something to do with it. You know...” Genji paused, suddenly he realized that all of Hanzo's secrecy had left him in the dark. So much for being brothers. _'Dammit anija. I thought we told each other everything. Traitor.'_ his mind provided, “He's been acting strange as of late, and it all happened after that time you were eating ice cream under the willow tree.”

 

“How so?” suddenly McCree's interest had spiked, because truth to be told he needed to hear something about Hanzo, the man had practically vanished.

 

“Well, he opens his shop late in the morning and closes it early in the evening.” Genji shrugged, “Before, it was the opposite. So, I figured that he must be hiding from something or _someone_.” he stressed the last word and gave a pointed look at the cowboy. “So, mind telling me what all of this is about? Because it would be easier to breathe in outer space than to get Hanzo to open up about his feelings.”

 

“Well, I don't know. You tell me.” Jesse pointed a finger at Genji, because honestly, he was in the dark as well. He could have sworn he had seen a spark of interest in the florist' eyes whenever they talked, and now he was hiding. _Why?_

 

“Look, I don't know what you two talked about and frankly, I know I will find out sooner or later, but I can tell you this,” Genji leaned into the baker's space, “You have to do something! My brother is moping and,” the younger Shimada signed with his hands, “don't tell him I told you this, but he's been brooding more than usual and he hides when he sees you. So, _do something_.”

 

“But, what can I do if he doesn't want to see me.”

 

“He wants to see you, you big oaf. He just doesn't know how to demonstrate it... also he is kind of an idiot when emotions are involved. Never known how to express them.” Genji admitted, “Don't tell him I told you that either. He's a stuck up when it comes to feelings. You just have to... lure him out.”

 

Genji's eyes became dangerously bright, and his expression turned into something somewhat frightening.

 

“I think I should leave you to it.” Jesse began to take a few steps back.

 

“No, no, _noooooo~_.” the younger Shimada singsonged while waving his index fingers in front of the taller one's face, “I know what you should do.”

 

All right, Jesse decided to follow on the game that Genji was playing because he was kind of fearing for his life on that moment. “Okay, since it seems there ain't any way of escaping from your scheming little clutches, just shoot.”

 

“Do what you do best.”

 

“What is that?” Jesse inquired. He was good at many things: baking, cooking, shooting, playing the guitar, “You gotta be more specific.”

 

“Bake him something special.” Genji deadpanned. “Like the cupcakes you made for him.”

 

“What if he doesn't want it?”

 

“He will.” Genji pointed out, “He's got a sweet tooth and _that_ right there is his Achilles' heel, you are lucky... or he's the lucky one; I don't know about that. But, anyhow, think about it and if you see the shop closed when you decide to bring the peace offering, call me.” the younger Shimada sibling offered a small paper with his phone number written on it to Jesse, “And I'll let you into his greenhouse. He's been hiding there lately.”

 

It seemed to Jesse as if Genji had been planning on that for quite a while, “All right...” was all the baker said before Genji all but ran to wherever it was that he was going. “'S worth a try.” McCree mumbled as he went back to his bakery. He needed to try, if anything, seeing Reyes trying to finally declare his _'undying love for Morrison',_ as Lena often put it, made Jesse wonder if he should try as well.

 

Honestly, he didn't have a lot to lose. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed the correct answer for the current riddle he was trying to solve.

 

Even if Jesse was utter garbage when it came to running, he actually ran towards his bakery, walked in with a determined look on his face, went to the back and began grabbing ingredients and utensils.

 

“What's going on here?” Olivia asked surprised.

 

“I'm making some macaroons.” McCree offering a wink to the hacker, then hummed, “For a very special delivery.”

 

“Yeah, it finally happened.” Fareeha glanced up from the bowl of frosting she was preparing, “He's lost it.”

 

The baker ignored them and began whistling. “These're gonna be the finest macaroons in history, or my name ain't Jesse McCree.”

 

“Is he announcing that to us or...” Olivia's voice died out as Jesse's muttering became louder. Because he couldn't get excited about baking something for his sweetheart like a normal person would, no, he had to mumble like a madman naming each ingredient that he needed.

 

“Ah! come on luv, let him be.” Lena said from behind the front counter.

 

“Where's my special whisk?” the baker asked to no one in particular.

 

“It's actually funny, cute and kinda scary to see him like this.” Pharah commented with a fond nod.

 

“At least the storm clouds he had floating over his head the whole week are finally gone.” Olivia added.

 

“You could say that again.” Pharah laughed then, “I hope we get to try some of those.”

 

“Nope, none of these are for you.” Jesse continued mixing the ingredients. “You can see 'em, but can't touch 'em.”

 

“Aw, come on!” the three workers yelled in unison.

 

Now it was Jesse's turn to laugh out loud.

 

* * *

 

The greenhouse was as always, full of colorful flowers of many types. He had dedicated a lot of time and effort into making them grow and bloom, Hanzo was quite proud of that fact. He often remembered that if it hadn't been for Genji's fondness for traveling the wouldn't he where he was, in his own home surrounded by flowers and doing what he loved.

 

His father often said that a sparrow is not meant to be caged, so Genji was allowed to go anywhere and everywhere he wished, and the younger Shimada had chosen to study abroad in the US, and Hanzo was supposed to stay in Japan because he was going to be the new head of the Shimada business' empire. He had attained a diploma on business administration and another one on accounting because his father had demanded it.

 

Hanzo's life back then had been pretty much set up for him and filled with choices he had neither made himself nor had ever wanted, so he had been quite determined to do whatever he could to escape such a sad fate. So, on the day of Genji's departure and without his family knowing, Hanzo had left.

 

When the Shimada family found out about Hanzo's escape, it was too late. Both brothers were laughing as they sat together in the airplane as it took off.

 

Hanzo had refused to follow up on something that would never truly bring any joy or fulfillment into his life, and so, he chose the flowers over being trapped within the confines of an office building doing finances and attending boring meetings; his flowers were after all, one of the main sources of his happiness. And truth to be told, that's the only thing that counts.

 

Yet, as of late, Hanzo would go out of his way to avoid opening the shop until it was almost nine o'clock in the morning to avoid seeing Jesse. In fact, in the last few days, the florist had left Genji tending to the shop while he was spending whole mornings in his greenhouse and in the cold room making floral arrangements and feeling like an _idiot_.

 

He was hiding after all, and yes, he knew it was _childish_. But he continued doing so nonetheless.

 

Hanzo was grateful to a certain degree, mostly because he never truly got a chance to tell McCree why he had chosen red petunias as a gift for him, let alone about the flower's meaning. He was indeed, feeling like an idiot. Somehow it seemed more than obvious that a man so talented and good looking as Jesse was taken, after all the baker had called the woman to whom he had been speaking over the phone _'dear'._ How could have Hanzo failed to notice that Jesse was in a relationship was beyond him.

 

Or maybe, he was getting ahead of himself and made up crazy ideas instead of just asking Jesse on a date. Or at least inquiring about the truth, like a _normal_ person would do... but no.

 

Hanzo preferred to make conjectures and come up with a thousand scenarios -most of them tragic, for _some_ reason-, and as always, he would just bottle up his feelings and keep them in the dark until they just faded away. And he hoped this would the case as well.

 

His parakeets seemed to be making fun of him as much as Genji had been doing so, _for days_.

 

So, the florist just deemed it appropriate for him to forget about everything else outside his greenhouse for a while. Hanzo felt the soft ground underneath his bare feet and breathed in the smell of fresh earth and the fragrance of the flowers. Dusk was approaching rapidly, but he payed no mind to that either. The elder Shimada took a vibrant yellow rose and placed it over his right ear, the petals mixing themselves with some strands of hair. Hanzo hummed a little, reached over for his phone, selected a playlist and got to work. First, he began trimming some of the bushes he had planted on the far corner.

 

He lost the track of time, for when he noticed, the last of the sunlight was fading rapidly. The florist would have to light up the lamps soon, but in the meantime he wanted to enjoy the current moment. Keep on pretending that nothing nor anyone else existed and just be there with his flowers and the small garden he had outside of the greenhouse. He was trying to keep Jesse out of his mind when suddenly, Frank Sinatra's _'I Got You Under My Skin'_ began to play on the background and Hanzo grumbled.

 

Even his own music playlist was making fun of him. “This level of mockery is unbelievable.” he hissed, but made no effort whatsoever to change the song. In fact, he ended up singing along.

 

* * *

 

Jesse gave the finishing touches to the pastries and the couple of dozen of small flowers made out of fondant that he had been working on for most of the day. A satisfied sigh escaped his lips.

 

“Done.” he announced, a bright smile on his face.

 

Olivia who was the one closest to him whistled. “Nada mal jefe.” the hacker praised.

 

“And I say, about time he was done.” Fareeha commented, “I thought he was gonna become one with the dammed fondant. And it's about time to close.”

 

“And I'm a bit tired!” Lena added with a chirpy tone, she was being way too cheery for someone who claimed to be tired.

 

Jesse ignored them all and went looking for one of those boxes they had for special deliveries and requests. The box was gold in color and with a sturdy transparent lid, he filled it with the macaroons and then added the small fondant flowers he had made, making it look as if the bright colored buds had just fallen from a blooming tree and on top of the pastries. He put the lid in place and then added a golden ribbon on top as a final touch.

 

Without saying a single word, McCree went to the room in the back, washed his face, removed his apron and placed his stetson over his head. “Ready for this rodeo.”

 

Before he left the bakery, Lena wished him luck a dozen times, Olivia told him to get the guy's number and Fareeha told him not to return to his own bakery until he had _finally_ gotten together with that guy.

 

His arrival at the flower shop was quite uneventful, but as he stood in front of the shop itself he noticed everything was closed and lights were turned off. So, he called Genji who opened the door with a smug face, guided him towards the greenhouse where Hanzo was.

 

“Good luck.” was all the younger Shimada sibling said before he disappeared, leaving Jesse standing in front of the door that gave way into the greenhouse itself.

 

As far as things went everything was going fine, but Jesse was feeling a bit intimidated. What if the florist was avoiding him for an important reason? But what could it be?

 

He mulled over his thoughts for what seemed to be an eternity, he even considered leaving until he heard a voice. And not any voice. It was Hanzo, and he was singing along to _'Dream a Little Dream of Me'_ , his melodious intonation filling the place as he was watering a gardenia bush.

 

Jesse opened the door quietly and stood there motionless, he nearly even dropped the box.

 

He was mesmerized.

 

In his eyes, Hanzo was a vision that resembled a deity. The florist's hair was down, the sleeve tattoo complete visible and that rose in his hair was the final touch. This man was a dream come true, plain and simple.

 

McCree could not take it anymore, he had to do something, ask him out at the very least. So he gathered his courage and cleared his throat to get Hanzo's attention.

 

The florist stilled and turned around quickly, “Apologies, I did not see you there.” he said, “How did you get in?”

 

Jesse didn't answer, he was still distracted by the man that was standing completely still a few feet from him. Besides, his mouth was completely dry and his heart was beating so rapidly, that he feared it would jump out of his chest.

 

“All right,” the elder Shimada was putting the watering can down, he was mentally planning Genji's demise “seems as if I will be soon becoming an only child.” Hanzo then offered McCree a smile, and Jesse admitted internally that he would be lying if he said that his breath was not taken away by that simple gesture.

 

 _'Is he real?'_ the baker's mind screamed, _'Am I hallucinating?'_

 

Jesse willed his legs to move closer to Hanzo and handed over the box filled with macaroons.

 

“I hope you like them.” was all the baker said. He had forgotten even the very reason as to why he was there, his mind was focused only on Hanzo. Everything else might as well not exist.

 

Hanzo, for his part, had to admit that he had been petrified when he saw Jesse standing by the entrance of the greenhouse, he had been singing and he hoped that McCree hadn't hear him. After he was given the box, Hanzo glanced at the beautifully packed pastries and suddenly he was torn, not knowing if he should eat or put the macaroons for display as decoration, they look like works of art and there were little fondant flowers among them as the final touch.

 

“These are beautiful.” was all he could voice out. “They look like a work of art. Worth of a museum.”

 

“Ah, shucks darling. You flatter me.” the baker's face became red, “I wanted to give you some flowers because you gave me some last time and... I don't grow flowers myself, but I can make edible ones.” Jesse added as he took the box from Hanzo's hand, and grabbed one of the colorful confections out of the box and offered it to the florist.

 

The elder Shimada smiled fondly at the taller man as he took the offered pastry and bit into it. The flavor and consistency were outer-worldly to put it lightly. “These are excellent.”

 

“Glad you like them.”

 

The florist had left the playlist on and the music went on, the sun had finally set behind the horizon, a comfortable silence fell between them, they had both a lot to say; a lot of questions to ask as well, but neither knew how to start the conversation. A few minutes passed by with the old songs playing on the background still, the two men were staring into each other's eyes until Jesse reached for something in his pocked and got even closer to Hanzo, “Look.” the baker said, the boutonniere that the florist had given him was now encased in resin, and currently resting on Jesse's palm.

 

This made Hanzo feel warm inside. It was a gesture that was both unexpected yet, quite touching. “It is beautiful.” the florist whispered as he traced the edge of the resin with his index finger.

 

Hanzo reached over for a small switch near the tulips, and the small greenhouse was engulfed in soft golden light courtesy of the the fairy lights that the florist had hanged around the place.

 

In silence, Hanzo stood in front of McCree and taking the rose he had placed over his ear he then placed one hand over Jesse's button-up shirt and placed the flower on the baker's left pocket. They were so close, both of them came to realize that at the same time as Hanzo's hand was still resting on Jesse's chest.

 

“May I have this dance?” the taller one asked, extending a hand towards the florist. The song that Hanzo had been singing when McCree had arrived was playing once more.

 

Hanzo took the offered hand and both men began to sway slowly as the song played, no words were shared between them, they were allowing their rapidly beating hearts to do the talking for them.

 

As the melody ended, the florist lifted his head and stared right into Jesse's eyes. They were so vibrant and hypnotizing, they reminded Hanzo of caramel and whiskey. So easy to get lost into them.

 

Their noses were touching then, just a little more and their lips would do so as well. Hanzo's heart was beating so loudly that in his ears he could hear drumming instead of the song that was currently playing. And Jesse was in the same way. He was lost into Hanzo's eyes as well.

 

Both closed their eyes, their lips brushed and as they did, someone opened the door...

 

And interrupted them.

 

Genji stood by the entrance, mouth open in surprise, Jesse was muttering a few excuses looking for an exit, and Hanzo was currently planning his brother's untimely demise.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, next chapter coming soon!


	5. Tulips

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos and comments!

* * *

 

Genji had a tight hold on the doorknob alongside a dumbfounded expression. Meanwhile, his phone on the other hand had been receiving numerous text messages. The younger Shimada sibling began muttering quite fast, _'this is the end of good old Genji'_ and _'I'm never getting the money from that wager'._

 

For his part, Hanzo just glared at his younger brother, “Now you spy on me as well, huh?” the florist crossed his arms.

 

“Oh! hey Hanzoooooo.” Genji said in a futile effort to placate his brother's ire, “And who do we have here?” he went on feigning ignorance, “But if it is none other than McCree! Oh man, long time no see. Nice night for an evening, no?” Genji was babbling, but he was sure that there was no other way to get out of this one, he just knew that his elder brother was surely going to murder him. _'And no one will ever find my beautiful corpse!'_ his mind supplied, which added to his panicked state even more.

 

As for Hanzo, well, he took a deep breath and counted down from ten. His mind was filled with static due to anger but suddenly he smiled, walked towards Genji, pushed away the half of his younger sibling's body that was inside of the greenhouse, closed the door on his brother's face and then turned around and offered a short nod to Jesse.

 

“Where were we?” The florist asked with a serene tone in his voice, and truth to be told, McCree was a bit scared.

 

Still, he had not come for nothing and the anger was not directed towards him anyway, so, after clearing his throat Jesse said, “Well you see, I came to get some tips to take care for the petunias you gave me.”

 

Hanzo remained quiet for a few seconds, he could have sworn that Jesse had been about to kiss him just a moment ago. But he had been seemingly mistaken. _'That is what I get for hoping.'_ The florist sighed internally and tried to keep the disappointment from showing on his face. “Of course.” he said instead, and after taking his phone and stopping the music that had been playing on he background he began explaining every bit of information he could recall from the top of his head about the petunias to Jesse.

 

The baker listened earnestly and with an easy smile on his face he asked even more questions about how much sun the plant could take, how many times a week he was suppose to water it, the blooming season and other things. And with that, they fell into an easy rhythm between questions and answers. Night had completely fallen by the time the conversation about flowers had evolved into one about musical taste, and with that Hanzo stretched as he stood up from the old wooden stool he had been sitting at.

 

“I do believe it is rather late.” the florist commented offhandedly, he did not want to come off as rude or to make Jesse believe that he was kicking him out of his house. Because nothing could be further from the truth.

 

“Yeah.” was the reply he received from the distracted baker. Jesse had accepted that he had become entranced by Hanzo's explanations about the plant, in fact, McCree had not truly been paying too much attention to the instructions he had been given because he had been busy staring at Hanzo's features.

 

“Here.” the elder Shimada was offering a basket that he was holding with both hands, “You can use these.”

 

“What is all this?” Jesse lifted an eyebrow as he reached over in order to take the basket, that he assumed Hanzo had filled while he had pretended to have been listening the whole time when in fact he had been ogling the florist and daydreaming.

 

“Some things that you will find useful.” Hanzo pointed out.

 

The baker checked the things he had been given to find a middle sized metal watering can painted in a rich red color, shears, a couple bags of fertilizer and a spray bottle filled with a natural pesticide that Hanzo himself had made that would keep most of the slugs and other bugs that could damage the petunias at bay.

 

Jesse gave a loud whistle, “Thank you kindly.” he tipped his hat afterwards, “I'll put these to good use.”

 

The silence between them returned and it felt akin to saying everything and nothing at the same time. McCree began to consider leaving, before Hanzo would have the chance to kick him out as he had noticed that the quietness became stiffing, but when the baker was about to open his mouth to wish the florist a good night, and in a sudden spur of braveness, _-or perhaps foolishness?-_ Hanzo gave his number to Jesse, “In case you need anything. I am at your service.” he told the taller one.

 

After regaining his bearings and realizing that Hanzo had in fact beaten him to it, Jesse did the same. “I'm available twenty-four hours a day. No matter what.” McCree offered a smile to the florist and made a mental note not to tell anyone in his bakery that it was Hanzo who gave him his number first. He had made a bet with Fareeha that he was going to be the one to ask Hanzo for it, and the baker was not going to lose it.

 

“We will see about that.” the florist smirked and Jesse felt his knees become weak. “I know you may be busy and that perhaps you have more pressing matters awaiting you but,” suddenly Hanzo felt shy, and wanted to kick himself for it. He is a Shimada and shyness is not something that anyone in his family is allowed to display. But then again, Hanzo remembered that he was quite far away from any relatives that would frown upon his behavior and he actually felt better because of it. So, he took a deep breath and smiled brightly, then decided to invite Jesse into the house so they could share a few more macaroons and some tea. And it had _nothing_ to do with the fact that he wanted to expend more time with Jesse. Nope, and if anyone would dare to say otherwise, he would deny it until the day he died.

 

“It'll be my pleasure.” McCree replied with an easy smile of his own, he was completely elated by the invitation and more than eager to accept it. “Lead the way.” he said pointing at the door.

 

With that said, both men began to make their way into Hanzo's home. They walked at a slow pace for there was no real hurry. Inside of the kitchen, Hanzo reached for the kettle and as he began to fill it he faced Jesse, “Please make yourself comfortable.” he then pointed at a small table that had two cushioned chairs on each side and a potted fern hanging overhead. A window right behind it that allowed the entry of the morning sunlight at dawn and that was by far one of Hanzo's favorite spots in his home.

 

Different types of other potted flowers were lined by the windowsill, Jesse could recognize tulips and an orchid alongside a few succulents.

 

The baker sat down and observed Hanzo in silence. He noticed how the florist was practically dancing as he was going from one side to the other looking for his loose tea, the soft smile adorning Hanzo's lips as he reached for the fine blue and golden cups on a high shelf. It was entrancing and quite peaceful somehow, it even caused Jesse to get lost in a daydream for a while. He imagined himself walking into the kitchen in the morning to find Hanzo making tea, both of them in pajamas, hair messy and sleepy expressions on their faces. The first rays of sunlight coming through the windows as Jesse embraced Hanzo from behind, both of them sharing a good morning kiss afterward.

 

That would be a dream come true, but only if he was brave enough to ask Hanzo out. And he'd be called a liar if he was to deny the fact that he had been beating around the bush for a while.

 

But what if the florist said _no_? What then?

 

 _'I would just take the rejection.'_ Jesse concluded. He was a grown man and, if Hanzo was to say no to him he would just walk a way. It would hurt, yes, but he would have to accept it and move on.

 

The florist carried the tray with the tea to the table, the cups ready to be filled and the macaroons were piled on a plate. He had also brought a few extras as well, in case Jesse drank his tea with milk or wished to add sugar to it.

 

Hanzo sat across from Jesse and served the tea in silent contemplation. Something had him preoccupied but he was being too much of a coward to ask. For his part, Jesse broke the silent atmosphere not only to praise the delicious tea but also to ask the florist why he had been opening so late and closing the shop early.

 

And Hanzo, being the _human shaped chicken_ he had always been whenever it came to relationships, made up an excuse.

 

“I was quite busy with the decoration of a few events and fulfilling smaller orders in the shop as well... my schedule...was quite... full.” He said in a low tone, then proceeded to stuff his mouth with two macaroons so that he would not have to talk for a while because he knew his lying little brain could not go on and he would end up spilling the beans.

 

“I see.” Jesse replied, suddenly he was not feeling so sure about asking Hanzo to go out with him for a coffee or at least a walk down the park. Neither did he want to mention how he stood at least ten minutes each morning in front of the flower shop to see if he could catch a glimpse of the florist during all of those days.

 

The florist noticed the disappointment in the baker's face and reached over the table for Jesse's hand without thinking, it was a bold move, but he had to give the taller man some sense of reassurance at least, so he gave the other's hand a squeeze and then smiled softly at Jesse. For Hanzo the other man had looked so lost and somehow had also resembled a kicked puppy and the florist was not going to have any of that. He wanted McCree to smile. “But my schedule has returned to normal now.” he said in a reassuring tone.

 

Their hands were still joined and neither of them wanted to separate, so Jesse turned his hand upwards and intertwined their fingers, then winked at Hanzo. “'S better this way, darling.” he said. And that caused Hanzo's face to become red.

 

Jesse was lucky to be wearing his hat or else, his reddened face would be out for the world to see as well.

 

And hiding by the doorway, and taking photos as if he was a paparazzi who worked for a cheap tabloid, there was Genji. Not only was he taking photos and sending them to every single person who lived down their street, he was also collecting his winnings.

 

Neither Hanzo nor Jesse knew if it took two minutes or two hours for them to finish drinking their tea and eating the macaroons, all they knew is that by the time they stood up, they were still holding hands.

 

Hanzo guided Jesse to the front door and when the moment to say goodnight came, as they both stood in the doorway, right underneath the blooming wisteria vine, McCree took the florist in his arms and gave him a hug. “I missed you.” the taller one confessed.

 

Somehow, the elder Shimada felt lost in the embrace but accepted it nonetheless, even if the words would not come out for him to tell Jesse that he had missed him, too. Hanzo wrapped his arms around the taller man slowly, and as he did so he came to realize that Jesse felt warm and inviting, he felt like home.

 

The florist felt his pulse quicken and closed his eyes. The embrace he was sharing with Jesse felt different, more welcoming than anything he had ever experienced before, and Hanzo relished in it.

 

When the florist turned his face to the side, he felt the softest touch of lips upon his own. It had been barely there, it resembled brush of the wing of a butterfly when it goes over the skin. Hanzo then saw Jesse smiling down at him in that soft way that made the baker's eyes seem brighter. The florist accepted it right then and there, as they stood underneath the wisteria vines in the doorway of his home.

 

He was a goner for Jesse McCree.

 

Hanzo finally accepted that he was truly falling for this man. And he was scared of the possibility that he was falling in love alone, that Jesse didn't have the same feelings for him.

 

“Good night, darling.” Jesse said to Hanzo, his voice mellow while his heart was beating so hard that he feared that the florist would hear it. He had not meant for the kiss to happen, even if it had been but a brush of their lips, it had happened anyway, and Jesse was not regretting any of it.

 

The florist smiled at Jesse and lifted a hand in order to trace the baker's face for a moment, “Good night to you as well.” Hanzo said in reply as his hand came to rest upon McCree's lower jaw, his voice was almost a whisper. “I will see you tomorrow, when you walk by.”

 

Jesse, somehow becoming braver, took Hanzo's hand and gave it a kiss, then he tipped his hat, grabbed the basket filled with the gardening tools Hanzo had given him and began to walk away.

 

The florist was glued to the spot, his eyes set upon Jesse's back.

 

He had a lot of thinking to do.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The window on the second floor, the one that was located in the front of the house and allowed a clear view of the whole street, was framed by the wisteria vines. With the plant in full bloom Hanzo sat on the windowsill with a bottle of sake by his side and the smell of the fragrant flowers reaching his nostrils and relaxing him. His phone laid on the other side of the room, as he stared into the moonless sky that was covered in stars.

 

The florist could message Jesse but apprehension kept him from giving into the temptation, and from taking that final leap. It may sound a bit exaggerated, but he truly had no desire to ruin things between them.

 

But he wanted _this_ , he hoped he had not been reading the signals wrong, that Jesse returned his feelings.

 

“Why must this be so complicated?” he had asked himself that question more than once and never got an answer. He sighed and drank a generous amount of liquor, after putting the bottle on the windowsill, he saw the newest couple in the street strolling down hand in hand. Mr. Morrison with a big smile and his eyes held a unique shine that Hanzo assumed came with being in love, as for Mr. Reyes, he had this smitten expression on his face, they seemed happy together.

 

Would he be able to reach such a state of bliss? There was only one way to find out.

 

Hanzo fell asleep already making plans, he knew that nothing worth having was ever easily attained and he was willing to try.

 

 

* * *

 

 

After having greeted Jesse that morning as the baker had passed in front of the shop, Hanzo had felt that somehow things would get better. That he could at least try to invite McCree on a date, unless having tea and pastries in his kitchen counted as a date... and if it did, then then was a point in his favor.

 

By mid-day, Dr. O'Deorain was in Hanzo's flower shop looking for her weekly new addition to her collection of carnivore plants. As it was her custom, and for the sake of her experiments she got new plants every week. After one of her oldest flytraps that she had given the codename _'Larry'_ had disappeared she had come to believe that someone was following her and stealing her experiments. Perhaps it is someone who is trying to copy her formulas or experimental methods, anyhow, Moira finds it safer to gather the plants in Hanzo's shop. Since the florist orders them from all over the country the geneticist has no need to fill in any forms for requisitions in her laboratory which at the same time keeps anyone spying on her works at bay since no one knows what kind of experiments she's conducting.

 

What she doesn't know is that _'Larry the flytrap'_ got loose on its own volition, somehow the little plant developed sentience after a couple of experiments, (thanks Moira, you sort of released a tiny new critter on the world). But all the little plant does is go sneaking about following Dr. O'Deorain and sometimes it haunts the neighborhood. So far no one's been hurt or traumatized.

 

After Moira left, Hanzo left Genji in charge of the shop while he went into the cold room in the back and began working on a couple of floral arrangements that needed to be delivered later that day.

 

That was right when Jesse arrived with a moderately sized box filled with cookies for Hanzo. As McCree made his way into the shop he greeted the younger Shimada sibling who in exchange wasted no time on telling the baker where his elder brother was.

 

“He's in the back, working on some arrangements.” Genji then pointed at the box in Jesse's hands, wiggled his eyebrows and said, “Give me some of those cookies and I will leave the premises to give you guys some privacy.”

 

Jesse knowing that there was no way to be free from the little weasel known as Genji, complied with a loud sigh. “You still have to tend to the shop.” McCree stated.

 

That earned him a shrug from Genji, “Well yeah, but,” the younger Shimada bit into one of the cookies, “This way I won't be spying on you two. Ah! and thank you, you two earned me a couple hundreds last night.”

 

“You little shit.” Jesse grumbled as he went on walking into the back of the shop, where he found Hanzo standing in front of a large vase holding half a dozen birds of paradise and gerberas, what made the baker stop in his tracks were two things. One: Hanzo was wearing a flower crown and he looked as if he was out of a fairy tale, and two: right on that moment the song ' _Mr. Sandman'_ began to play and Jesse would be lying if the part of the song that says: _'Make him the cutest that I've ever seen.'_ didn't echo within his head for well over a minute because, _damn_. The florist was indeed a dream come true.

 

The taller man cleared his throat loudly and that gained him the attention of the florist who smiled brightly as he took notice of who was standing there.

 

“Hello Jesse.” Hanzo greeted as he placed the flowers he had been holding on a table, “What brings you here?”

 

McCree's brain seemed to have glitched because not a single word would come out, “Uh...” he pointed at the flower crown on Hanzo's head, “Cute.” he managed to say.

 

In response, the florist giggled, “Ah, yes.” Hanzo said, “A customer wanted a few of these made for her daughter's birthday and I decided to make one for myself as well.”

 

“They look good on you.” Jesse confessed as he offered the box filled with cookies to Hanzo who took them eagerly. His sweet tooth was something he was rather proud of.

 

“Thank you.” the florist said in response, then placed the box over a table nearby and took out one of the flowers from his crown, then placed it Jesse's shirt, on the pocket that was on the left side. It was a daisy, simple yet as beautiful as any other flower.

 

McCree smiled and thanked Hanzo for the gesture, tipped his hat and prepared to leave, “My break's almost over.” his words were followed by a short laugh, “I may be the owner of the bakery but damn, even I got to respect the schedule.”

 

Hanzo laughed as well, the reached for Jesse and embraced him, then laid a kiss on the cowboy's cheek, “Is it all right if I visit your bakery later today? He asked, “I have a gift for you as well.”

 

Jesse.exe had stopped working right then and there, “Y-y-yeah! Sure, darling.” he answered after his brain finally decided to reboot, his heart was about to leap out of his chest. “I'll be waiting.” he then patted the pocket where Hanzo had placed the flower and winked at the florist before turning around and walking away.

 

 _'Oh my gooooooooood! Yeah!'_ his mind screamed as he lifted at fist in the air after he walked out of the flower shop. _“Score!”_

 

 

* * *

 

 

Hanzo had closed his shop early that day, and walked down the street with a clay pot filled with blooming tulips in his hands. The bright crimson of the flowers made a fantastic contrast with the golden hues of the sky as the sun was setting.

 

The walk to the bakery was a short one and not once he thought about turning back. Well, maybe once or twice, but the point was that he reached his destination and as he stood by the entrance he checked his clothes, and his hair on the glass door before he noticed that there was a young woman looking at him with an eager expression on the other side of the glass.

 

 _'The earth should swallow me right now.'_ he thought. _'I would be so grateful for it, too.'_

 

The door opened and the young woman wasted no time introducing herself, “Hello love, I'm Lena and you must be here looking for Jesse. He did say you were coming.” she said with a big smile, “He's at the back, right through that door.”

 

“Thank you.” Hanzo found himself walking into the massive baking area and the heavenly smell of freshly baked goods wafted all over the place. This was either heaven or somewhere really close to it.

 

Jesse was standing in front of one the numerous ovens, placing inside a couple of molds filled with cake batter, when he heard a voice calling for him, “Hello Jesse.”

 

The baker turned his head around so fast that he nearly got whiplash, “Hanzo, darling!” he greeted, a smear of flour over his nose and his apron had a small stain here and there, and yet for the florist McCree was a sight to behold. “You're here!”

 

“I did say I was coming over.” the elder Shimada then extended the his hands to Jesse, the clay pot nestled between them. “Here, I brought you some tulips.”

 

McCree eyed the offering in awe, “Shucks darling, they're beautiful.” Jesse reached for the potted plant, the rich red of the flowers had him entranced, but no more than a certain florist did, “They'll look great alongside the petunias.” as he got a hold on flowers his hands covered Hanzo's and well, neither of them wanted to actually move.

 

Hanzo took the initiative then, he placed the tulips on one of the counters and moved back into Jesse's space. He was about to give in to what his heart wanted and honestly, he was nervous and eager, but also quite afraid. What if McCree rejected him? His mind was all over the place but there was no turning back, he had to do this because where words failed actions would speak louder. The florist wrapped his arms around Jesse's neck and pulled down gently until their lips touched.

 

There was an instant filled with uncertainty were Hanzo thought he had miscalculated and began to retract his arms from the taller one's neck, he expected to be told he had been reading every signal that had been given by the baker in the wrong way. But in a surprising, or perhaps not so surprising move, McCree placed both hands around Hanzo's waist and pulled the florist closer. “You ain't going anywhere now that I got you here.”

 

And just like that, the dam broke and the gentle press of lips became something primal and desperate. They deepened the kiss and refused to stop until their lungs were burning due to the lack of air. When the kiss ended, their foreheads touched and both men laughed.

 

“About time.” a voice was overheard by the two newfound lovers.

 

“Dammit Lena!” another one yelled, “Way to ruin the moment!”

 

“Don't you three have anything better to do?” this time was Jesse's turn to yell.

 

“Well yeah, but the baking area is occupied by our resident lovebirds.” Pharah replied as her head popped into the kitchen, “We didn't want to interrupt but, the cakes are burning Jesse.” she added.

 

“I should go.” Hanzo told Jesse as he disentangle himself from the embrace, “I will see you later.”

 

The group made their way into the kitchen to turn off the oven while Jesse and Hanzo shared another kiss. “Take care, darling.” McCree said between pecks. The pair in fact was yet to separate, so they continued sharing a few more kisses as they moved towards the door while the baking area was cleared of the disaster caused by the burned cakes and ventilated.

 

They were interrupted of course when Hanzo's phone rang, but this time at least he was grateful that it was after he had finally kissed Jesse and not before.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two dorks finally kissed! 
> 
> A few things:  
> can anyone guess where I got the phrase“nice night for an evening” ?
> 
>  **Red Tulips:** Mean everlasting love, deep love.
> 
> And other than that, the part where they hug and they kinda kiss but it's only a brush of their lips actually I got it from real life. It happened to me once, when I was hugging a dear friend of mine a few years ago. He went by the nickname 'Teddy' and well, he treated me rather well and was very polite but I never told him anything about the crush I had on him, so, fast forward a couple of days before I had to leave for Boston, we were hugging and I turned my head and he did so at the same time and we kinda kissed, neither said anything and I left. I saw him last year with who I assume is his wife? or current girlfriend, idk, (I just know that in front of her I look like a goblin...) anyway left me wondering... what if I had said something back then.
> 
> Well, next chapter is already started, and I'll be working on it around the clock. If I take too long to update please feel free to throw shoes at me.
> 
> Thank you for stopping by!  
> 


	6. A Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, new chapter is here.  
> Thank you for reading, and commenting and leaving kudos!  
> Seriously, without any of you this story would be just me screaming into the void.  
> Thank you and enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 

The call that Hanzo had received after walking out of Jesse's bakery had been in fact from Mrs. Lindholm, who wished to talk with him about the floral decorations for the wedding vow renewal ceremony she was planning. The florist had of course, accepted the job and after a few meetings with her, the types of flowers and style for the floral arrangements had been chosen.

 

A couple days later, Jesse had sent the florist a text, the message itself had been a short one, _**'Can you drop by the bakery later today? It's important.'**_ it read.

 

Hanzo's curiosity reached a new level and so did his confusion, because Jesse needed to be a little more specific. Still, instead of asking anything the florist replied with a short confirmation about his visit later that day, turned off the phone and returned to work. It had been a couple of days since he and Jesse had had any direct contact, but still, Hanzo's heart felt light and he had a slight spring in his step. Or so Genji, who had been walking with him, said right before entering Zenyatta's bookstore.

 

What Hanzo did wonder about, was mostly concerning his last encounter with McCree. They had not discussed anything after that, or spoken directly. There had only been a few texts shared between them and their usual morning greeting.

 

When Hanzo arrived to his destination, he took a small glance into the building through the front glass seeing how the bakery was filled near to capacity with customers all over, the sight of it took him by surprise.

 

Inside, it was all hands on deck. Lena was going left and right serving orders, she moved so fast that Hanzo could swear she was jumping through time. Olivia seemed to be in between exhausted and bored, but that could have been because she didn't have enough sleep the night before or because she had left some of her _'projects_ ' half finished, still, she was helping Oxton as best she could. As for Fareeha, she was replacing every tray in the shelves of the frontal display with new ones filled with fresh pastries.

 

Jesse had been at the register. The group worked quite well, one could say they were almost in sync.

 

When the bell over the door ringed announcing the arrival of another person, McCree took one look up from the resister and with a bright smile he welcomed the florist with open arms, “Darling!” he called quite loudly, which on its own seemed to serve as a cue for every person present in there to begin gossiping. Nothing new really, but Hanzo felt rather uncomfortable because of it, nothing he couldn't handle though.

 

Ana, who happened to be in the bakery getting some of her favorite cranberry and oatmeal cookies, elbowed Jack in the ribs, the man had been distracted looking at his phone.

 

“Ow! Ana, watch it!” Morrison spoke without even taking his eyes off the screen of his phone, “What is it?” he inquired as he felt his friend's elbow hitting him once more. A minute later when he finally decided to take a look where Ana was not so subtly pointing at with her head, or more specifically to _whom,_ Jack laughed.

 

“And all I can say is,” Amari glanced between Hanzo and Jesse with a smug knowing smile. “I can't believe it.”

 

“Me neither.” Jack replied as he bit into a brownie, “I lost twenty bucks to Gabe because those two got together.”

 

“You'll never change.” She told him with amusement in her voice. “You've always been so blind when it comes to love.”

 

“What does that even mean?” Jack tilted his head, phone all but forgotten.

 

“It means, you're an idiot.” Ana sighed, it was better to drop the subject because she didn't want to remind Jack of all the times Gabriel tried to court him and it went over Morrison's head. The poor man had been about to give up, but thankfully he had changed the tactics he had been using.

 

Meanwhile, the florist was standing in a corner in the far reaches of the counter so that he would not obstruct the movement of the costumers. And of course, he was rather worried, the message had seemed urgent but he could not see any worry marring the baker's face. “The text you sent seemed to be urgent.” Hanzo said as he moved closer to where Jesse stood, “But you seem to be quite busy, do you require any assistance?”

 

“Ah, don't worry we got it covered. And the text,” Jesse said and he handed a bag filled with pastries to a customer, “it's work related Han. You see, I have to make the cake and a few extras for that ceremony you know, the one for the Lindholms” the baker explained, “and you got the decoration, or so I heard. So I thought it would be a good idea to team up.”

 

Hanzo was actually not surprised that Jesse knew he was working on that, “But of course, it is rather impossible not to know about everyone's life in this street.”

 

Jesse laughed in response. “At this point, you should be used to that. It's the local sport.”

 

The florist offered a nod in response and decided to wait in silence until the rush hour was over. He observed the comings and goings of all the people with interest. It had been a while since he just sat down and did nothing. His eyes fell over the table he had set with McCree that night when he had given the baker the petunias a a gift. Now the tulips had joined the other plant and a few of the potted succulents were there, too. The red watering can was also there, somehow it gave it a more homely air to the whole setting.

 

His eyes then, were set on Jesse.

 

The tall man was there with a big smile greeting everyone as they approached the counter, as if all of them were old friends, but as it was, they probably were. It was a small town after all and that tended to happen, everyone became sort of a big family since it was more difficult _not_ to know the people who lived around. Perhaps in a few more years, Hanzo thought he could get to know the people better. He had his plants, and they never betrayed or let him down, but he knew that sooner or later he had to come out and get to know the people around him a bit better, because just as he had noticed, Jesse knew these people by name and for a moment, Hanzo thought that it would be nice if he got to be at least half as friendly and welcoming.

 

He was not within the premises of the Shimada castle anymore. He was free to do as he pleased, and to talk to whomever he wanted.

 

Since he was alone with his thoughts, he also wondered where he was standing in his relationship with Jesse. Honestly, he had no idea, they hadn't actually sat down and had a conversation about it. What even were they? They were not boyfriends or lovers, they had only shared but a couple of kisses, a few embraces and some conversations. That doesn't give much in the way of context, and today would not be the day for them to discuss any of it since McCree wanted to talk about a project, so it will have to wait.

 

_Again..._

 

It took a while, but the crowd eventually dwindled and every person working in the bakery sighed in relief.

 

“I'm dead, and not only on the inside anymore.” Olivia's words were followed by a groan, “Please delete my search history and bury me with my favorite laptop.”

 

“So dramatic.” Lena replied with a laugh as she was cleaning tables on the far side.

 

“Hey, Hanzo.” Jesse called for the florist who came out of his reverie with a start. The elder Shimada stood up and walked towards the baker who opened his arms and embraced him. And all right, Hanzo had to admit that Jesse gave the best hugs. “How're you darling?”

 

“I am fine.” Hanzo replied, McCree was yet to let go of him though. “How about you?”

 

“I should say that my day got even better when you walked in through that door.” Jesse said as he laid a small kiss over Hanzo's forehead. “Let's go have a seat, this might take a while.”

 

Both men moved towards the back of the building and made their way into the break room. It was a small space with a high placed window, a few chairs, couple of tables, a small refrigerator and some appliances over the yellow and red counter.

 

After they sat down, Hanzo went straight to business. “What do you suggest we do if we are to be teaming up for this?” He inquired, both hands crossed over his lap.

 

“Whoa, slow down darling.” Jesse raised his hands, “We should have a drink first. Would you like some coffee? Juice? Tea?”

 

“There is no need, thank you.” he denied with his head. If this was a meeting to talk about business, then they shouldn't tarry.

 

But Jesse, knowing quite well that his mother's famous words were true: _'the way to the heart is through the stomach'_ and because he wanted Hanzo to stay a while longer than necessary, Jesse stood up in a hurry. “Wait here.” he said, then disappeared for a few minutes only to return with a cup of coffee and plate filled with cookies, brownies and mini pies. “Now, we can talk.” McCree sat down with a pleased smile.

 

And as expected, Hanzo's sweet tooth strikes again, because the first thing he did was reach for the brownies.

 

“How about you tell me now, what is all of that about a collaboration between us?” the florist inquired after biting into the chocolate confection. “These are pretty good.” He praised, to which Jesse beamed in response.

 

“Well you see,” the taller one eyed Hanzo, “since you'll be working on the main decorations I think you could also give me a little hand to decorate the cakes with edible flowers. I got no problem making them out of fondant, but the Lindholms are good people, and I think they deserve something a bit higher quality. Not that my fondant is bad, it's actually amazing if I do say so myself. I just want to give them something better.”

 

And that was kind of a lie right there, because Jesse could decorate the cake with the flowers on his own. He had done so before, he just wanted an excuse to expend more time with Hanzo. And to finally get the chance to ask him out properly.

 

Hanzo nodded in agreement, the idea itself could be quite easily executed and not only that, it would actually give an even more elegant touch to the ceremony. “I believe that that can be easily accomplished.” the florist agreed, besides he already had in mind the flowers that would be needed. Pansies, primroses and day lilies were the first ones to come to his mind and he could already visualize the cake with the flowers in a single column; going from the smallest flowers on top and continuing the line until it ended with the largest ones at the base of the cake.

 

“So, when do we start?” Jesse asked after taking a sip from his coffee.

 

“I will place the order for the flowers that will be needed for the cake today.” Hanzo began to stand, as he assumed that had been all, only to have Jesse reaching for him.

 

“Hold up a moment.” The baker exclaimed taking a hold of the florist's hand, he moved so suddenly that in his haste he knocked down the chair he had been sitting on. “I got something else to tell you.”

 

“Is something the matter?”

 

_'Come on say something!'_ the cowboy's mind screamed, he had no desire to lose this chance to get to know Hanzo better. And they had a conversation pending.“Would you like to go on a walk with me?” it was the only thing that came to his mind, “There's a park nearby and they sell some real good burgers in a small joint across from it.” Jesse finally let go of Hanzo's hand after realizing he had been holding it for too long.

 

The florist considered refusing the invitation, but then it dawned in his mind that this could be a great chance for them to talk things over, see where they stood relationship wise. Because a few embraces and kisses could mean nothing at all, or they could mean the start of something precious.

 

“Well, I am rather hungry.” Hanzo admitted, “I do hope these are the best burgers ever, I would hate to be disappointed.”

 

“Darling, you're in for a surprise then.” Jesse winked at the florist and after giving a few instructions and leaving Fareeha the keys so she could close the bakery, the two men left the building.

 

“Have a nice date, lovebirds!” Lena shouted ad the front door of the bakery closed after the two men had left.

 

* * *

 

The walk towards the park was filled with an amenable conversation at first about work and even the weather, but somehow it devolved into terrible jokes along with loud bouts of laughter. They both enjoyed it seeing the other with a smile.

 

Upon arrival, the first thing Jesse did was to drag Hanzo towards the fountain. Once there, he tossed a coin into the water and winked at the florist, “Don't ask what I wished for. I want it to become true.”

 

Hanzo of course was curious, but also wanted to pay Jesse with the same coin. No pun intended. So he also made a wish, “I will not ask about your wish.” he smirked at the taller man as the coin sank into the fountain, “If you do not ask me about mine.”

 

“You drive a hard bargain, darling.”

 

“You started it.”

 

Jesse sighed, “Shouldn't've said anything.”

 

“Too late for that.” now it was Hanzo's turn to wink at Jesse, “Now, where are those burgers? I was not joking when I said I was hungry.”

 

“Right this way.” McCree offered a hand to the florist who took it without thinking about it twice.

 

The food was simple but filling. Hanzo had no complains about it, in fact he would not be averse to the idea of returning to the small establishment. Afterwards, both men decided to just wander around the park. Neither noticed when they began to hold hands, or when the conversation began become more about themselves than their surroundings.

 

_'What's going on?'_ Jesse's mind screeched as he felt his heart beating faster just because Hanzo laughed. _'I'm a goner... I'm done... this man has me wrapped around the tip of his little finger.'_

 

Meanwhile, Hanzo was in the same predicament, _'Do I have to ask him or not? This is a date, right?'_

 

_'Come on, take some courage!'_ McCree's inner dialog went on, _'If you don't, he might get the wrong impression.'_

 

They came to a stop in front of a decorative metal arch. The structure was surrounded by a few bushes, and illuminated by dozens of fairy lights.

 

“I gotta ask you something.” Jesse said as he stared right into Hanzo's eyes, he considered holding onto the florist's hands but decided otherwise just in case. “It's important.”

 

Problem was that that neither of them knew _what_ to say. So, silence became a heavy presence between them. This unspoken and somehow flourishing relationship of sorts they had, the easy banter they shared and relaxed moments they spent together should mean something.

 

But both men had given way for doubt to delve into their minds, allowed it to take root when it shouldn't have, when the end of their uncertainty was a simple sentence away. Just a question to be made and be done with it.

 

“This is a date, is it not?” the florist inquired, breaking the silence without batting an eye. He was tired of the uncertainty, and he needed to know where he was standing.

 

Jesse was frozen on the spot. Of all the things he had expected Hanzo to say, those words were not it. So McCree unable to talk, just nodded enthusiastically.

 

_'Yes! Yes! Fuck yes!'_ McCree thought still nodding.

 

“All right, good!” Hanzo exclaimed. “That is all I needed to know.” The florist took Jesse by the neck and pulled him down until their lips touched, and this time it was different from that first time, where fear reigned and they were full of doubts. This time it felt as if fireworks were illuminating the night sky with their bright colors and shapes.

 

The wait and doubts were finally gone and done with.

 

“So, we're officially going out now?” Jesse asked clearly out of breath after the kiss ended, but with a dashing smile on his lips.

 

“Yes, we are.” Hanzo answered with a smug expression on his face.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for stopping by!


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